Apples from the Tree
by Kitsune Moonstar
Summary: A collection of all of the royai one-shots from An Apple a Day.
1. Taste of Life

Author's note: All of these one-shots have already been posted in An Apple a Day. They have simple been posted here again to make them easier to find and read through.

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. Spoilers for manga chpt. 58 and on.**  
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* * *

**Taste of Life**

Chocolate Chip Cookies – The day they met she gave him a plate of cookies. He looked so lost, and they always made her feel better.

Blueberries – They picked blueberries his first summer living with Riza and her father. He still remembers her laughter and the sound of "Kerplink. Kerplank. Kerplunk."

Stir-fry – The first thing he taught her to cook was stir-fry. It had been one of the dishes his mother had taught him to make before he had left home. It was a simple enough dish for both of them to fix, and it had become clear to him that they were going to take care of things if they wanted edible meals.

Cookie Dough – Sometimes she didn't exactly get around to making the cookies, and instead they shared the mixing bowl full of cookie dough.

Waffles – He made her waffles the morning after her father had died. When he had lived with them, he had often cooked, and he knew her tastes. He didn't try to talk that morning, just presented her with the waffles and held her when she cried.

Marshmallow – Gracia had managed to send Maes a package of marshmallows. The three of them sat around their fire, roasting the marshmallows and trying to remember what it felt like before the desert.

Anise – He brought her anise candies while she was in the hospital. She wouldn't let him apologize for burning her, and it felt like the only thing he could do for her.

Tea – He knew exactly how she took her tea: no milk, three sugars, and honey if there was any available. He would fix a cup along with his morning coffee and leave it on her desk.

Shish-ka-bob – Maes had thrown a barbeque for the entire office staff, and some how Roy had ended up being the one cooking the shish-ka-bobs. Of course, it did have the added benefit of Gracia sending Riza over to make sure he didn't burn anything.

Peppermint – He tasted of peppermint that night he kissed her under the mistletoe. It the Hughes' annual Christmas party, and neither Maes nor Gracia would let them get away with flouting tradition. She could still taste the flavor of that kiss when she went to bed that night.

Orange – It wasn't often that she fell sick. When she did, she knew she'd find a bowl of oranges left in her apartment.

Cider – Their first Christmas in Eastern was spent snowed in at the office. There wasn't anything they could do about it, so they made the best of it. They drank hot cinder in his office, wrapped in emergency blankets. Neither remembered having such a content Christmas since childhood.

Apple Pie – They never told Maes that Roy had learned to make apple pies from his mother, or that Roy had taught her how to make them when they were young. He was so proud of Gracia's cooking, they never had the heart to.

Mint – She kept a dish of mints by the coffee. It was one of the constants of the office, but they never saw her take a single one.

Lemon Drops – There was a stash of lemon drops hidden in the second drawer of her desk. When they went missing, she knew he was to blame.

White Chocolate – For the most part, she hated Valentine's Day. It was a waste of her time. She would spend the day sorting through the colonel's numerous valentines and her own smaller batch. The only good thing about it was the next day there was always a box of white mint truffles and a thank you note.

Hoar Hounds – The bag of lozenges appeared on her desk after she had spent the morning coughing.

Cake – They celebrated Elysia's first birthday with cake. It was a small gathering, the only guests being those present at her birth and her godparents. Afterwards, Roy couldn't help imagining a slightly different blond child, one with a pair of amber eyes.

Apple – She always fed him apples when he was sick. He never asked why. He had always thought it had been a tradition of her mother's.

Mousse – It wasn't often that a she had to take a day off because of it, but once or twice a year, her cramps were so bad that she could barely leave her bed, let alone go to work. How Roy knew when it was one of those days as opposed to a regular sick day, she never knew, but somehow she always got a delivery of chocolate mousse from a local patisserie by mid-afternoon on those days.

Ginger Snaps – A plate of ginger snaps always appeared in the office about a week before Christmas. The guys always assumed they were from Gracia, but then only Roy knew that Hawkeye's kitchen smelled like molasses and ginger.

Take Out – They often lived on take out. It wasn't that they couldn't cook, but they had little time for cooking.

Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate – Every once in a while, she and the girls would get together for a weekend. They always ended it with chocolate. It was one way to drown their sorrows.

Ice Cream – He watched her share a pint of ice cream with Winry Rockbell. He knew better than to approach them as they were furious with all things male. They looked like a pair of sisters, and he couldn't help wonder what Riza's daughter might look like.

Lavender and Raspberry Chocolates – It never failed. On her birthday she would receive a box containing four raspberry chocolates and four lavender ones. She never did learn how he knew they were her favorites.

Whipped Cream – He always served the hot chocolate with whipped cream, homemade whipped cream, not the store bought stuff. Edward didn't realize it, but there was a reason Hawkeye had served it that way after the he and Roy had nearly drowned themselves on a mission.

Hot Toddies – It didn't snow very often, and when it did, it was almost never enough to justify staying home. When the rare pleasure of a true snow day occurred, they seldom stirred from the fireside, and only then for nourishment.

Cinnamon Roll – Her first day as the Fuhrur's assistant she found a warm cinnamon roll and a cup of tea on her new desk. There was no note, but then she didn't need one.

French Toast – She smuggled breakfast in to his hospital room the week after they had taken down the government. He had been complaining about hospital food since he had been admitted, and it was beginning to annoy Alphonse who was sharing the room with him.

Wine – She had one glass of wine with her dinner on their first "official" date. It wasn't that she didn't drink. There were simply other things she preferred to get drunk on.

Champagne – She didn't know where they had hidden it, but within five minutes of announcing their engagement the boys were toasting them with plastic cups full of one of the best vintages of Champagne.

* * *

Theme: French


	2. Chaos Theory

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This fic was inspired by the odd combination of West Wing, You've Got Mail, and a fanfic called Mail List Madness, none of which are mine. AU. Spoilers for chpt. 57 & 58.

* * *

**Chaos Theory**

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Fair Warning

Let me start by being honest. I was signed up for this by a group of well meaning friends, who are currently hiding from my wrath, as a birthday present. I am not looking for a romance. However, a decent conversational partner is always welcomed, especially since I'm currently ignoring most of my friends. As per the rules of this farce, I will not give out any information that can be used to directly identify me for the first month. That is if you're still interested.

Perri Falcon (yes, that is a pseudonym)

_Who needs enemies when you have friends?_

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Re: Fair Warning

I know the feeling. My best friend signed me up for this as a way to "keep me out of trouble". Those are his words, not mine. He seems to think I'll get in less trouble with online dating than dating in reality. Of course, this is also the man convinced that I need to "find a good wife and settle down". Anyway, I also value conversation and in that spirit am quite willing to continue, as you put it, this farce.

Taisa Kaji (also a pseudonym)

_Real friends stab you in the front. – Oscar Wilde_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Getting to Know You

So you've left me to start this exchange. That's fine by me. Chivalry is all and well, but I prefer respect any day. To tell the truth, I'm not really interesting. I have military training, but I'm not currently an active member. I just finished getting my university degree at the end of winter term. I was a double major, history and literature, with a minor in political science. I know, I have no life. Other than that, I enjoy reading and drawing. I'm not a terribly good artist, but there's something soothing about drawing. That's about it. The ball is in your court now.

Perri

_"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." – Last words of Pancho Villa _

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Re: Getting to Know You

So, it's my turn now? Let's see, I also have military experience, and like you, I am no longer active. I've had my degree for awhile, but then I finished early, so I really can't twit you about having no life. I majored in political science with a minor in chemistry. Yes, I know it's a weird combination. I enjoy music, especially classical. My friends would have said that until recently my hobby was dating women. I enjoy a good book every now and then, but I don't often have time to just read. So what kind of book do you like to read? I've always been fond of poetry. I'll admit I try never to miss _The Writer's Almanac_ and the poem of the day on the radio. Any more, that's my stand in for reading. When I have the time to read, I like historical novels, mysteries, science fiction, and political journalism.

Taisa

_"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written." – Oscar Wilde _

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Books and Other Interests

I love _The Writer's Almanac_. There is something incredibly soothing about that man's voice. I like a plot with romance. I tend to lean towards mysteries and historical fiction, but fantasy's not bad either. I have to admit that I'm a sucker for happy endings. They may not happen enough in real life, but there's no excuse for a book not to have them. I really don't care how much angst the characters have to go through as long as they get their happy end. I'm fond of music as well, but I have a very low tolerance for rap, hip-hop, and heavy metal. Did you ever take a class on political satire? That was one of my favorites. Political humor is one of my favorites.

_You will make some new friends today. One of them will be on some sort of "sacred quest", which will make a good ice-breaker. ("So...what's with the coconuts?") – Daily Humorscope_

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Life in General

I swear I'm surrounded by idiots. Lovable idiots, but still idiots. Of course, I probably should have expected that. After all, I do work in politics. I had that class too. Sometimes I wonder if I have a better appreciation of it because I work in politics. Well, I'm currently working on one of the campaigns for president. In light of the rules, I won't tell you which one. I have to admit, I really enjoy it. My best friend is running the campaign, and I known most of the other staff for awhile. It's like one big family. Actually, I get along better with them than I do with most of my own family. I have three older sisters, but I'm only close to one of them. I actually spent most of my childhood living with one of my teachers.

_Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed! – Monty Python and the Holy Grail_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Life in General

Sad to say, I'm very out of touch with politics right now. A friend of mine is working on one of the election campaigns, but she's too busy to talk much. I don't even know whose campaign she's working on. Hell, I don't even know who's running right now. You're lucky to have a job you enjoy. Mine's both boring and exhausting, but it pays the bills, and I don't have the energy go job hunting right now. I don't have the energy to really do much more than work and relax on the weekends. The job is that draining. My apartment isn't really put together right now. Actually, my apartment is mostly in boxes. The sad thing is that I've been living here for about three months.

I can understand about not being close to your biological family. I spent my childhood living with my father, who was a scholar, and his student, who was a few years older than me. I have a pair of half brothers, but I haven't had much contact with my mother's family since she left Dad, and I refused to leave him too. What little there was wasn't positive, except for my grandfather. Dad was an orphan. He died when I was sixteen. I don't really have many close friends, and none of them live here in Eastern. I mean, I have people I get together with, and who signed me up for this thing, but I'm not really close to them.

_There are times when we're dirt broke and hungry and freezing, and I ask myself, "Why the hell am I still living here?" Then they call, and I remember – Rent_

To: IHaveAWrenchAndIAmNotAfraidToUseIt

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: It's Been a While

Hey Win. How's the new job? I know it's not what you were planning on, but is it okay? Anyway, nothing much has happened here. The only thing new is I've got an internet pen pal. Say hi to the boys for me.

Riza

_God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. – Dr. Ian Malcolm  
Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth. – Dr. Ellie Sattler_

To: BirdofPrey

From: IHaveAWrenchAndIAmNotAfraidToUseIt

Subject: Re: It's Been a While

Riza,

Hey, it's been forever. I love my job. It has its downsides, believe me, but I'm really enjoying it. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on the idiot boys. Last week they nearly burned down the building. Come visit Central. We'd love to see you, and I'd bet we could get you to join the campaign. You have got to get away from that job of yours. I swear it's turning you into a zombie.

Winry

_Sinners may reform, but stupid is forever. _

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Work

I assume from your statements that your job is not the one you've always wanted. Or is it the job you thought you wanted, but reality didn't match what you expected? That's what happened to me. The job I have now has its headaches, but I think it's worth it. I've been lucky to stay so close to my friends. Or at least most of my friends. There's one girl who I've lost track of. She was one of my closest friends growing up, and I miss having her around.

_Thirteen short bearded men will invade your living quarters soon, eat all your food, and drag you off on an ill-advised adventure, much to the amusement of an elderly gentleman of your acquaintance. – Daily Humorscope_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Work

My problem is I don't really know what I want to do. I liked school well enough, and while the military was a good fit for me, I saw too many things in my short time there that made me question what was actually going on. I never really had some grand goal for my life or dream career. My job is a good enough job. The working environment could be better though. It's just nothing that I'm really thrilled to be doing. I kind of think I always expected to be working with someone and that would be what made the job worth while. I don't know. I really tired, and none of this is really coming out right. I've just acquired a puppy it seems. One of my co-workers found him abandoned on the way to work. Our boss threatened to have him put down if he stayed at the office, and since no one else has an apartment that allows pets, I took him home. I'm not sure if I'll keep him, or if I'll try to find another home for him.

_Virginia: I've gone crazy. How can I be talking to a dog?  
Prince Wendell: Bark!  
Virginia: Yes, I have. Don't try to reassure me._

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Dogs

I like dogs. They're loyal. My opinion is you should keep the puppy. But you don't have to listen to me. I'll still like you. I'd tell you to come work for me, it doesn't pay as much as the private sector but the company's great, but that would violate the rules. Anyway, take some time for yourself if you need to. Don't let your job take over your life. Once the month long, no personal details rule is over, I'll tell you about how I ended working with a pair of these guys. It's really great story.

_Left Ear: This dude got dogs. I don't do dogs... I had a real bad experience, man.  
Charlie Croker: What happened?  
Left Ear: I had. A bad. Experience. Damn it. I'M deaf._

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Dogs

I named the puppy. I guess it's official that I'm keeping it now. I'll hold on to the rain check for that story. It sounds interesting. Besides, the rule expires in two weeks. Hard to believe we've been at this for so long, huh?

_Doc: I don't care if the turkey said the dog was a turkey! The dog is not the turkey! The turkey's the turkey, you turkey!_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: ElysiaIsTooCute

Subject: Meeting

Roy, you have a strategy session in ten minutes. Get off the computer. Yes, I know you're there. Come on, we've got a primary to win.

Maes

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Future

You evil woman. What did you the name the puppy? So, one of my friends claims that I'm always stealing his girlfriends. I'm really not, at least, not on purpose. Is it my fault that they meet me and then afterwards dump him? My friends seem to think I can't take a relationship with a woman seriously. That's not exactly true. It's just I have yet to meet a woman with whom I could take a relationship with seriously. I want what my few married friends have, a full partner. I've yet to find someone who can be that. Well, that's not exactly true. I have met one person. However, I didn't realize it at the time, and I haven't seen her since we were teenagers.

People ask me what my next grand scheme will be, but what I want is something simple: a family. You know, I notice that people often ask women if they want children. They don't ask do you want a family, but do you want children. What's the point of having children if you don't want a family? Sorry, some people at a meeting today got me thinking, and then my best friend went and shoved pictures of his daughter in my face, so the subject's been on my mind. It just kind of poured out here.

_Stitch: This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good_.

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Future

The puppy's name is Black Hayate. He's really quite cute, even if he does need quite a bit of training. I have a tattoo. I know you're thinking, "So what? Lots of people have tattoos." It's just that most people who know me would be astonished to find out I have one. Not that anyone knows. It's not exactly an ordinary tattoo either. It takes up my entire upper back. This is going to sound silly, I know. I told you my father was a scholar and had a student. About two months after my father's death, I came across the result of all their work and research together. That's what's tattooed on my back. It's kind of a promise to myself. A reminder that they're still with me somehow. I haven't seen my father's student since the funeral. I can understand what you're trying to say about marriage and family. It's one of the reasons I don't date. I have only met one man who could accept me just as I am as a partner, and that was my father's student. Not that we ever really had a romantic relationship, but the potential was there. That's one of the reasons, I enjoy this so much. You treat me the same he did, at least in emails. I've never actually met you, so I can make the claim I've met two men who have treated me such.

_Diane Barrows: That can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars over the fence, World Series kind of love._

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Frustration

Sorry, I haven't meant to ignore you. Lately, things have been heating up at work. The last debate before the primary is coming up, and we've got a problem. It's a really close race, and according to the data we have, we could win a lot of votes if our candidate was a little more like his opponent. The problem is the opponent comes off as incredibly genial, and our guy invariably comes off as arrogant. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I was still alive.

_Teal'c: Appearances may be deceiving.  
Jack O'Neill: One man's ceiling is another man's floor.  
Daniel: A fool's paradise is a wise man's hell.  
Jack O'Neill: Never run with... scissors?_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Frustration

You know, you can always use people's assumptions. If people expect you to be arrogant, then don't bother trying not to be. Use your arrogance to make your point. Don't let the other campaign dictate how your candidate will act; that's just asking for trouble. You guys can do this. Game on. (How was that for a pep talk?)

_"All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." -- Sean O'Casey _

To: BirdofPrey

From: IHaveAWrenchAndIAmNotAfraidToUseIt

Subject: Job

Please don't kill me, Riza. I set up a job interview for you with the campaign staff. I really think you'd be good at this job, and I think you would enjoy it. Give it a chance. The interview is May 11th. Someone from the campaign will pick up at Central station at 4 p.m. Attire is casual, but a little dressy.

Winry

To: IHaveAWrenchAndIAmNotAfraidToUseIt

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Job

I'll do it, Win. Mostly because a friend of mine's been encouraging me to take some time for my self and not let my job burn me out. I'll see you then.

Riza

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Um…

When it comes to women, I am caught between two phantoms anymore. Every woman gets compared to the two of you, and every one falls short. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I think I can give up the ghost if I can have you in my life. I mean, actually in my life, not just as my online friend, therapist, and confidant. Right now you're just a ghost in a machine. The problem is I keep expecting to find you beside me half the time any more. God, none of this is coming out right. You know, I already deleted six emails because I can't find the right words. Please, come meet with me?

_Joe: Love does things for reasons that reason cannot understand._

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Um…

My friend set up a job interview for me in Central on the 11th. I won't be free until late that night, but I'll be there. If you really want to do this, that is. I'd love to meet you in person. I have to admit I'm halfway in love with you myself. I'm just afraid that reality won't live up to the image you have of me.

_Birdie Conrad: You are marching into the unknown armed with - nothing._

To: BirdofPrey

From: AmongtheFlames

Subject: Time and Place

I understand the fear. Really, I do. I'm not available until late that night either. There's this little all night café in Central called The Twining Rose. I'll meet you there at, say 11:30 ish? I'll be the guy with a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_. It's cliché, I know. I didn't even read the book until after I saw the movie this winter.

_What I am actually saying is that we need to be willing to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly. -- Shakti Gawain_

To: AmongtheFlames

From: BirdofPrey

Subject: Re: Time and Place

I'll be there. See you then.

_Kate: With hope, love should end with hope.

* * *

_Riza stepped off the train and into the golden afternoon sunshine. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. On a whim, she'd left her hair down. This felt strange. She really wasn't one for doing spontaneous things. Between meeting her pen pal and applying for a new job she knew nothing about, she was feeling a wee bit anxious.

"Ms. Hawkeye?" A woman with short honey-brown hair stood waiting on the platform.

"Yes, ma'am, that's me."

The other woman smiled. "I'm Gracia Hughes. I'll be handling the first part of your interview. Winry said you were somewhat out of the loop on this."

"That would be an understatement. I don't even know who's running this year, let alone what job I'm applying for."

"Well, I can help you somewhat there. If you're hired, you'll be the candidate's personal aide. If he gets elected, then you'll be the president's personal aide. It won't be an easy job. Why don't you come watch the debate with me, and then we'll see if you're still interested?"

"That sounds fair. May I ask what you do for the campaign, Ms. Hughes?"

"Gracia is fine. We're not that formal. My husband is in charge of the campaign. Most of the staffing work got passed on to me since he has his hands full."

"I see. In that case, I'm Riza. Um, do you know where The Twining Rose is? I'm supposed to meet some one there later."

Gracia gave her an odd look. "It's about two blocks from our campaign headquarters. I can point it out to you after the debate."

"Thanks."

A short car ride later, they arrived at the hall the debate would be held in. Riza unconsciously smoothed out the wrinkles on her slacks as she stared at the building. She'd opted for black slacks with a matching jacket and a red sleeveless top. She didn't know why she was getting nervous. She had nothing riding on this debate, so why were there butterflies doing the cha cha in her stomach?

Gracia smiled and touched her arm. "Let's go. You're going to enjoy this. There were a few last minute change of plans before the debate. Our guy is going to blow this out of the water."

Riza smiled. "I look forward to seeing that."

Gracia led the way inside and up to the balcony, surprising Riza slightly. "Staff doesn't watch from behind the scenes?"

"Maes likes to have someone in audience for things like these. He claims it gives a better perspective on what people are actually thinking about the candidate."

"I see."

The moderator stepped out onto the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final primary debate between the candidates for the Amestris Democratic party presidential nomination between Brigadier General Basque Gran and Roy Mustang."

Riza sucked in air and nearly choked on it as the two men walked onto the stage. "I know him."

Gracia let out a resigned sigh. "Many women do. I take it you won't be wanting the job."

"No, you don't understand. We shared a house from the time I was six until I was fifteen. He was my father's student."

"You're the little girl in the photo." The woman looked like she'd just had an epiphany.

"What photo?"

"There's this old photo Roy carries around in his wallet all the time. It's of him and this little blond girl sitting on a fence. He won't talk about it, but it's always with him. Especially, if he has a speech or a debate."

Riza bit her lip. Roy was here, and she had just made the decision to see if she was in love with someone else. Someone else who quite possibly worked for him. Of course, she could be jumping to conclusions. Just because he carried around an old photo of the two of them as a lucky talisman didn't mean he was in love with her. She worried her lip and chased thoughts in circles until something in the debate caught her attention. Gran was making it a point to be nice and genial if maybe not actually thoughtful. Roy wasn't even bothering. He knew he was smarter, and he was using that. If he came off as arrogant, then so be it.

Gracia grinned at her. "Caught on did you? It's was amazing. Last week Roy walked into a strategy session and asks, 'If everyone thinks I'm smarter than Gran, then why shouldn't I act it?' I don't know where he pulled that from, but it's working."

Riza let out a breath she had been holding. "Gracia, I'm not sure you can hire me."

"Why not? I'm beginning to think you'd be perfect for the job with your history together. I doubt you'd let him get away with the things he usually pulls."

"I might be in a romantic relationship with your candidate."

"Explain to me how that works because I could swear that you were completely surprised by him being here, and I don't see how that's possible if you two are dating."

"I haven't seen him since my father's funeral. Last month was my birthday, and some of my friends signed me up for an online dating pen pal exchange. I thought it was ridiculous but sent an email anyway. Just a little while ago I sent my pen pal a message. He'd mentioned he was working on a political campaign and was worried about the next debate because they were afraid everyone would see the candidate as arrogant. I mentioned that they could probably use people's assumptions to work in their own favor. We were supposed to meet for the first time tonight."

"He doesn't know you're, well, you."

"No."

Gracia looked thoughtful. "Technically, while you would be Roy's aide, he's not your boss. The chief of staff would be. We can give this a try, and if worst comes to worst, we'll just have you work some place else. I'm positive we have plenty of jobs that could use your talents, going by the resume Winry gave me."

Riza smiled. "I think I'd like that. He's going to win, you know."

Gracia smiled back. "Yeah. I know. Want to go back stage and meet him when he gets done?"

The two women quietly left their seats, and Gracia led the way backstage. Winry was there waiting by the entrance to the stage along with two other young men, one of them missing a tie. Gracia smiled at them. "Al, Riza's going to take over staffing Roy when he comes back. Could you get her the files she'll need? Ed, what happened to your tie?"

The young man with a ponytail snorted. "Candidate god complex set his own on fire two minutes before the debate. He stole mine."

"I don't even know what happened. I'm going to find Maes. Riza, you can wait here for Roy. It shouldn't be much longer."

Winry grinned at her. "I take it you were hired."

"Not exactly. It's more of a trail period. There might be a few technical difficulties with me working for Mr. Mustang."

"Here you go, ma'am." Al handed her a clip board and several files.

"Thanks. So you two are Ed and Al. I've heard a lot about you. Did you really set the building on fire?"

The sound of thunderous applause interrupted them. Roy stepped out of the stage wings. She stepped for and smiled nervously. He froze.

"Hi." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hi." He blinked. "Riza?"

"Yes." She glanced down at her clip board. "You have a debate follow up with Hughes and Havoc, and then you're free for the evening. I'm glad my suggestion worked out for you."

He was still staring at her. It seemed his brain was having trouble processing. "Riza? You're here? Suggestion?"

She watched as everything came together for him. His eyes lit up, and then she was dropping the clipboard, so she could tangle her fingers in his hair as he kissed her. She vaguely heard a startled voice behind her.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?"

"I think Roy may be following your advice, Maes." Gracia's amused voice replied. "You do keep telling him to get a wife. That's Riza Hawkeye, by the way, the applicant for the personal aide position."

Roy pulled away, hands cupping her face. "It was you all along. I found you, and I didn't even know it."

She smiled. "You have meeting. Then we have the rest of the evening to catch up."

He nodded and turned to a man wearing glasses. "Right. What's next?"

She fell into step beside him as he and the other man started down the hall. She could hear Ed and Al talking behind her.

"Is there any law against the First Lady being the president's personal aide?"

"They're not even dating yet, brother."

"I'm not sure which we'll have to plan first, Al, the inauguration or the wedding."

* * *

Theme: online.


	3. No Reservations Needed

Author's note: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**No Reservations Needed**

I've been sold on this place since it opened, and that's not just because they give me free food. Cariad o Tan has been a well kept secret until recently. This little bistro and café is tucked away on Central's riverside. It's a cozy little place on the corner of West Crescent and Vine. The building is a warm beige color with murals of gardens accenting it. The wrought iron window boxes always have some sort of greenery. It looks like someone lives there which is quite accurate as the owners live in the apartment above the restaurant. There's café seating outside during most of the year, taking advantage of the wonderful river view. The wrought iron tables are picture quest, and the chairs all have plump cushions to save one's rear end.

The interior is just as charming. The dark hardwood floors match most of the furniture in the place, the only exceptions being the overstuffed leather chairs by the counter. The inside is divided into two sections. When you first walk in, it feels like a little coffee shop and bakery. The barista, Winry Rockbell, knows her coffee. They have one of the best selections of both foreign and domestic coffees in Central as well as seasonal specials and a lovely selection of teas. In fact, Cariad o Tan probably has the best selection of Xing teas in town.

The rest of the restaurant is regular seating. It's a comfortable mix of elegance and charm. Sage green and cream linens cover all the tables. During the day, the rooms are sunny and full of natural light. They are also perfect for a romantic evening out with candles on every table. The rooms aren't large, but they don't feel cluttered or crowded. Even full of people, it has a cozy feel.

But it's the food that people really come for. The rest is simply a nice bonus. I swear people would come here to eat even if the place was dump. The food is that good. The executive chef, Roy Mustang, has really done wonders. Don't be surprised if that name sounds familiar. Mustang was the sous-chef at Amestris before he opened Cariad o Tan, and that's really where the story begins.

Amestris is well known as one of the best restaurants in Central. Or at least it was. Its popularity has been declining lately, most likely due to the loss of Mustang. But then King Bradley was the one to make the mistake. Mustang had been hired straight out of culinary school. He was the top of his class and clearly had potential. It was a stroke of genius on Bradley's part to snap him up so quickly.

It didn't take long for Mustang to end up running the kitchen while Bradley ran the business, and that's where the trouble started. King Bradley is a remarkable business man. As a cook, however, he is not anything more than average. Which is why many a talented chef has disappeared into his restaurants never to be heard from again. But not Mustang. When he realized that Bradley was taking all the credit for his recipes, he went straight to Bradley and threatened to leave if he didn't get credit for his work.

Bradley threatened back. If Mustang left, he would destroy not only Mustang's career but also the career of Riza Hawkeye who worked at Amestris as a hostess. Hawkeye had grown up with Mustang, and the two of them were extremely close. Bradley threatened to keep either of them from ever working in the culinary industry again. Mustang left anyway, and he took Hawkeye with him. And Bradley was true to his word. He did his damn best to destroy their careers.

With neither of them being able to get a decent job, Mustang and Hawkeye did something no one had expected: they opened Cariad o Tan. They sunk their entire savings into purchasing the building and equipment for the restaurant then started calling on their friends to help get them started. Even my wife, Gracia, got in the act, designing their logo, menus, and the murals on the front of the building. Mustang also found an investor in Ling Yao, a young business man from Xing, who was new to Central.

Mustang was smart when he started too. He already knew that he'd have trouble getting any help from the established restaurant world, so he went looking for talented students and offered them positions with both creative freedom and full credit for their work. Which is how he got both Maria Ross, considered to be one of the best pastry chefs in town, and Jean Havoc, who was at the top of his class in culinary school. When the restaurant opened, the entire staff consisted of the three chefs with Riza Hawkeye working as both hostess and waitress. Two weeks later, Edward and Alphonse Elric had joined the staff as waiters, bringing with them their childhood friend Winry Rockbell. By the end of the month, Ross had recruited Denny Brosh, a friend of hers, as a kitchen assistant rounding out the staff.

They started out just serving lunch and dinner six days a week. I think they had something like three customers their first day, but by the end of the week the place was at least half full for every meal. Within six months, they had no trouble paying their bill. As I said before, the secret is the food. Cariad o Tan serves an interesting combination of Amestris and Xing cuisine as well as some creations that just can't be classified as either. No matter what you order, you'll be satisfied.

However, in order to help you choose from their varied menu, I'll offer some favorites of both the staff and myself. For lovers of Xing food, you can't miss with the teriyaki salmon. Or if you're not fond of fish, try the grilled chicken. The sauce is a family secret that Mustang claims has been in his family for close to three hundred years. If you're just stopping by for lunch, try either the curry or the noodles. For those who prefer something a little more familiar for dinner, the lemon chicken and rosemary potatoes are delightful. Stopping by for lunch? The omelets are exquisite, and there a fresh salads and seasonal soups throughout the year. For breakfast, there's a variety of pastries baked fresh every morning as well as favorite like pancakes and waffles. And never forget the dessert. Ross has outdone herself with everything from decadent chocolate cakes to perfect fruit pies to exquisite confections of Xing's sweet bean paste. It's heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth.

I know you're thinking: 'So the food's great; there has to be some sort of problem. The service is probably lousy.' Not to worry, the service is wonderful. While Cariad o Tan may have originally opened understaffed in the waiter area, they certainly aren't now. It's true that on a busy night it takes a little longer to get your food, but I've never had to wait more than twenty minutes. And there's always plenty of their signature rosemary dill bread to nibble on why you wait. Hawkeye runs a tight ship when it comes to the staff.

If I still haven't sold you on the restaurant yet, have no fear. I have one more story to tell you. You're probably wondering about the name. Cariad o Tan isn't Amestrian. It isn't Xing either though which is what you probably expected. It's Welsh. If you haven't heard of the language or the country it's from, I'm not surprised. Most Amestrians haven't. When Roy named the place, he wanted it to reflect what he held important. Cariad o Tan translates to 'beloved of fire'. Hawkeye's grandmother is Welsh. I'm sure you can do the math.

Anyway, you don't have to take my word for it. Stop by the restaurant and see for yourself. You don't need a reservation most nights unless you have a party bigger than eight. One word of advice though, don't try getting a table the first week in May. Mustang and Hawkeye are finally getting married, and the restaurant's hosting the reception.

* * *

Theme: Cooking


	4. Lucky Seven

Author's note: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Lucky Seven**

It was really all Maes' fault. Ask anyone. Yes, it had been a major victory for their firm. Yes, celebrating was what everyone needed. However, an all expense paid weekend in Las Vegas was asking for trouble, and Roy knew it. But there wasn't much he could do about it either. Maes had the whole thing planned out and the reservations made.

They had been let loose on Vegas. Roy had somehow been appointed the responsible one and ended up stuck at the Venetian where they all were staying. Thankfully, Riza Hawkeye, his assistant and legal aide, was also sticking around. At least he wasn't the only one who saw the insanity in all this. Besides, other than Maes, he had known Riza the longest of any of his co-workers. In fact, she was the daughter of his mentor, and when they had founded the law firm it had just been himself, Riza, and Maes. Now with nearly twenty-five people on staff, they were quite a successful business.

So now Riza and he were strolling through the Grand Canal Shoppes as a way to stave off boredom.

"So tell me again, why are we going Christmas shopping? It's July."

Riza smiled. "This way we beat the Christmas rush. Besides, you were the one who was sick of sitting in your room."

Years of familiarity allowed them to easily manage shopping for both the office and their extended family, though Roy would admit the office basically was their extended family at this point. Lunch was taken at a little bakery where they ended up sharing a table with a pair of criminalists due to the lack of available seating. They had spent a very pleasant hour or so discussing the place of forensics in the courts before returning to their shopping. And that was when disaster struck.

The two of them were just crossing the main square when they were accosted by a trio of hotel staff.

"Congratulations! You two have been selected to receive our grand wedding give away." The woman smiled at them. "Now we have lots to do before the ceremony, so let's get moving."

Roy traded stunned looks with Riza. What the hell was going on? They both looked expectantly at the woman.

"I saw that you hadn't made any bookings yet, so I assume this was a preliminary visit. Not to worry though. We can take care of everything. Now, Roger will take Mr. Mustang for his tuxedo fittings. If you'll just come with me and Lia, Ms. Hawkeye, we'll get your gown taken care of."

They found themselves being ushered in opposite directions. Before he knew it, Roy was being fitted for a tuxedo. Bewildered, he turned the young man taking measurements. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

The tailor looked surprised. "I should think it obvious, sir. You're getting the tuxedo for your wedding. The ceremony is this afternoon."

Roy blinked. "But I'm not getting married."

"Of course not, sir." The man's tone was condescending.

Once the fitting was over with, Roy was presented with a number of wedding ring selections.

"Don't worry about the ring size. We can get something that will fit within the hour." He was told. "Just choose something you'll be comfortable with wearing."

"But I'm not getting married," he protested yet again. And yet again, he was ignored.

Because they wouldn't leave him alone until he did, Roy finally picked out a pair of slender rings that were a multicolored gold patterned to look like wood grain. They were simple and elegant, and if he had to pick something, it would suit him nicely.

With the rings chosen, he was then ushered to a hotel room.

"Feel free to take a shower and use any of the amenities, sir. Your tuxedo will be delivered in about half an hour." The man told him. "Someone will come get you when it's time for the ceremony."

Alone at last. Roy quickly pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial.

"Hawkeye."

"Hey, it's me."

"Has anyone told you what's going on yet?" Her voice had warmed slightly.

"Other than everyone thinking we're getting married shortly? No."

She sighed. "That's the impression I get as well. They won't listen to me when I tell them we're not engaged."

"I know."

"I've got to go. There's someone here to do my hair, and they want me off the phone. I'll call you as soon as I can."

Roy sighed as she hung up. Well, if he was going to get all gussied up, he might as well take a shower. By the time he was done in the bathroom, Roy's tuxedo had been delivered along with a white rose boutonniere. It didn't take him long to dress and fix his hair. Roy stared at the man in the mirror; the last time he had looked like this was at Maes' wedding. Truthfully, he had thought about getting married once or twice, but he only had one lady in mind, and she had always seemed content with their friendship and focused on her career more than anything else.

"Sir? Are you ready?" A hotel employee was at the door. "We need to go now."

He was ushered back to the canals and towards the bridge overlooking the main square. There was a string quartet set up by the foot of the bridge. There was a priest waiting on the bridge as well as photographers. He was positioned beside the priest and told to wait.

The quartet began to play Pachelbel's Canon, and Riza appeared at the bottom of the bridge. She was dressed in an ivory gown with elbow length veil pinned in her hair with a pair of red camellias. With her she carried a bouquet of white roses and calla lilies wrapped in ivy. She smiled at him as she ascended the bridge. As she reached the priest, she slipped her hand in his.

"So, what do we do now?" She whispered.

"Well, we could fake a fight or just run away." He hesitated. "Or we could get married."

"You're serious?"

"Well, we practically live together, we know we work well together, I'm in love with you, and we are dressed for a wedding."

"Excuse me," the priest broke in. "Am I correct in understanding that you two are not engaged?"

"Yes," Riza nodded before turning back to Roy. "You're in love with me? Why didn't you ever say something?"

Roy shrugged. "I didn't want to mess up our friendship. I could deal with only being your friend. I just didn't want to loose you from my life."

"Idiot. Yes, I'll marry you. I just thought you weren't interested in me romantically."

The priest was beginning to look anxious. "Um, sorry to interrupt. Are you going through with the ceremony?"

"Yes." They chorused.

"Very well then."

Roy ignored most of what the priest was saying until it came time for the vows. It didn't matter anyway; what mattered was the woman standing next to him. Before he knew it he was repeating the vows after the priest.

"Riza Hawkeye, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life. I take you to be my partner, to have and to hold from this day forward. I give to you my unending love and devotion. I promise to be true to you, to cherish you, and to share my thoughts, hopes, and dreams with you. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, my best friend. I will love you forever."

Then it was Riza's turn. She repeated the same words, smiling at him. Then it was time for the rings. Someone had tucked Riza's ring in his pocket, and he could see his tucked in her bouquet.

"Please repeat after me," the priest said. "This ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

"Riza, This ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love." Hands trembling slightly, he slid the ring onto her finger.

She smiled up at him, amber eyes warm with affection. "Roy, this ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

The priest continued to talk. Roy listen with half an ear, too caught up in Riza's beautiful eyes. Her hands still rested in his, and she held his gaze as the priest droned on.

"…by the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

That was something Roy was quite pleased to do. As he kissed her, he could cheers coming from the tourists in the square. They were never going to live this down once the others found out about it, but he didn't really care right now.

After the photographs were done, the hotel staff informed that their things had been moved to a Venzia Luxury Suite and were presented with the keys. Before they headed up to their new room, Roy snagged the woman who had been coordinating everything.

"I just have one question if you don't mind. Why us?"

She smiled brightly at them. "Well, today is July 7th, 2007, a lucky day, so we wanted to have a lucky wedding. We were considering a number of couples, but it was your friend that really decided us on you two. The wedding manager overheard the story about you case where you got shot and what happened at the hospital."

Riza sighed, and Roy ran a hand through his hair. Maes would tell that story to anyone who would listen. The two of them adjourned to their new room to change into more comfortable clothing. Roy perched on their bed having exchanged his tuxedo for pants and a button down shirt, watching as Riza carefully unpinned the veil, leaving the flowers in her hair.

"Do you think Maes was in cahoots with them?"

She smiled. "I doubt that. The most he's ever done was lock us in a closet and pass incriminating looking photos around the office. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You do realize that once the office finds out, they are going to make us go through the whole thing again." He sighed. "We may never live this down."

She laughed, disappearing into the bathroom. "But think how much fun we can have with them all tonight."

He brightened at that. They were all supposed to meet for dinner at one of the casino's restaurants. "We could just not tell them. See who figures it out."

Riza emerged dressed in a short red sundress. "We could. We don't have to meet them until seven, so we have about three hours."

"Come're." He patted the space beside him. Roy slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. "I really do love you."

"I know." She tilted her head back to kiss him. "I wouldn't have married you otherwise."

They were late for dinner. The two of them arrived smiling and breathless to take the remaining two seats at their table. There were several raised eyebrows, and Roy bit back a grin. He was often late, but Riza almost never was. For them to be late when arriving at a function together was unheard of. Roy gave their drink orders to the waiter and waited for the obvious questions to begin.

"What did you do to actually make Hawkeye late for dinner, Mustang?" snarked Edward Elric, the firm's youngest partner.

Roy traded a look with his wife, and they chorused, "It's Hughes' fault."

* * *

Theme: Surprise Attack


	5. Changed in an Instant

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is an AU based on the anime.

* * *

**Changed in an Instant**

Roy had thought that the last phone from Hughes had been the worst phone call he could have ever received. He was wrong. This was the worst phone he could ever have. He gently put the handset back in the cradle as if he was afraid it would break.

"Colonel?" He'd forgotten that Hawkeye had been in the room when the phone call came in.

"I need you to drive me to the hospital."

"Sir?" She knew something was seriously wrong. Her voice told him that. She was simply waiting for him to give her the information she needed to handle the situation.

"Gracia and Elysia Hughes got caught in a grocery store robbery. Gracia was shot several times. She's been taken to the hospital, and they're attempting emergency surgery, but she's not expected to survive. I need to confirm her identity and take custody of Elysia." His voice was calm and controlled, only Maes or Riza would be able to tell how upset he was.

Hawkeye nodded and handed him his coat. She didn't reach out to him in any other way. She knew that he needed his control right now. They would mourn later, and he'd need her sympathy then, not now. The car ride was silent as well. It was just as well. He didn't want to talk about this, and he wouldn't know what else to talk about it.

She followed him through the halls of the hospital as ever his silent shadow. When they reached the waiting room for the emergency room, Roy ignored the police officer who attempted to speak to him, heading straight for Elysia who was curled up on one of the chairs.

"Elysia?"

"Uncle Roy!" The little girl threw herself at him with enough force to make him stagger when he caught her. She immediately began crying, and Roy just stood there, murmuring softly and rocking her slightly, until she had calmed down.

"Is Mama going to be all right?"

He wouldn't lie to her, not about this. "I don't know, sweetheart. I'm going to talk with the doctor. Stay here with your Auntie Riza, okay?"

She considered him with frightened eyes. "You promise to come back?"

"I promise."

He handed her over to Hawkeye and waited until they were settled into a chair before going over to the police officer who had attempted to speak to him earlier.

"Where's the doctor?"

"They're still in surgery, sir. We haven't heard from them since Mrs. Hughes was admitted." The man paused slightly, "When they took her into surgery, they told us there was only a twenty-five percent chance she would survive."

He nodded. A nurse came over them. "Officer O'Keefe, has the next of kin arrived?"

"That's me."

She nodded. "Doctor Scott would like to see you. If you would follow me."

She led him over to a side door where the doctor met them. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that Mrs. Hughes did not survive surgery. If it's possible, I'd like to have you come down to morgue now and identify the body."

Roy simply nodded and let the man lead the way. He wanted this over with as soon as possible. He didn't want to remember Gracia as he was about to see her. He wanted to remember the cheerful, gentle woman who had been the best thing to happen to his best friend. Afterwards, he return to the waiting room to find Elysia clinging to Hawkeye and his lieutenant's fingers twitching towards her sidearm as she spoke with a woman in a business suit.

"Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?"

He could see the relief in her eyes. "Sir, this woman wants to take Elysia into custody."

"I see. You do understand, ma'am, that I am Miss Hughes' legal guardian at this point as per the wishes of her parents?"

The woman turned her attention to him but not before leveling a glare at Hawkeye. "I am aware of that. However, you can't be expected to drop everything to care for a child, and as a bachelor, I'm well aware that child is an inconvenience that you don't need."

He could feel a headache coming on. He didn't want to do deal with this right now, and Elysia certainly didn't need to deal with this on top of everything else that had happened today.

"We're going home now. You can bring up this issue later during my office hours. Hawkeye."

Hawkeye rose to feet, carrying Elysia, and followed behind him as he led the way to the car. Elysia lifted her head from Hawkeye's shoulder and considered him with solemn eyes as the reached the car. "Mama's with Papa now, isn't she?"

He took her from Hawkeye and set her in the back seat. "Yes."

"What happens to me?"

"I'm going to take care of you."

Most of the drive the Hughes' residence was silent. Elysia took one step inside the house and burst into tears. Roy scooped her up then turned to Hawkeye. "Could you throw together an overnight bag for her? We'll spend the night at my place."

Twenty minutes later, they were at his apartment where Hawkeye took one look at his cupboards and announced that she was going shopping, so they wouldn't starve. He spent the time she was gone on the couch, rocking Elysia who hadn't stopped sobbing. She'd calmed down somewhat by the time Hawkeye had returned, but she still had a death grip on him. Hawkeye disappeared into his kitchen into the kitchen with the groceries but came out again shortly with a cup of coffee for him and a mug of hot cocoa for Elysia.

Dinner was a simple, hearty meal. He was pretty sure Hawkeye had deliberately chosen things that were soothing, tomato soup and some sort of bread and cheese dish. He wasn't quite sure what the latter was exactly, but it was warm and tasted good which was all that really mattered. There were also chocolate chip cookies which he knew were her comfort food of choice.

Once they'd gotten Elysia ready for bed and settled in his guest room, she started to gather her things. "Will you be coming in to work tomorrow? There's nothing that won't keep for a few days."

He caught her hand before she could reach for the doorknob. "Stay, please. I need you here."

He didn't want her to go. It was easier to focus with her around. That and he didn't want her out of his sight right now. He'd already lost his best friend. Now he'd lost Gracia who had been an awful lot like a sister. He was half afraid if he let her out of his sight, the next phone call would be informing him that she was gone too.

She hesitated. "It's not appropriate, sir."

"Riza," he invoked her first name, something he seldom used anymore. "I know you need to grieve just as much as I do. We both need this."

She met his eyes. Her own were teary, and he couldn't help it. He pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to be strong for me right now. I just need someone to share the grief with."

He was half surprised when she accepted the embrace and leaned into it. He didn't know how long they simply stood there, holding onto one another. He was vaguely aware of the fact that they both were crying, but he was mostly aware of the warmth between them and how right this felt. Finally, she pulled away, scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Do you have something I can sleep in?"

After rummaging around in his drawers, he came up with a pair of sweat pants and one of his dress shirts. "You can use the bedroom. I'll take the couch."

"I can take the couch. It's your bed."

He smiled, gently steering her towards the bedroom. "And I like the idea of you using it, even if I'm not sharing it with you. I'll be fine with the couch."

And so it was decided. They both turned in for the night, and Roy lay there, staring at the ceiling in the dim gloom. He couldn't sleep. His mind was too busy with all that would need to be done. He didn't know how long he lay there, trying to figure out the logistics of the situation. Elysia's piercing shrieks snapped him out of his thinking. He was on his feet and down the hall in an instant. Hawkeye was ahead of him, and he could see her gripping the gun in her hand, ready to take on what ever was in Elysia's room.

Unfortunately, guns aren't much use against nightmares. Riza tucked her gun into the bedside table drawer while he calmed Elysia down. Then she climbed into the bed with the little girl. "I'll stay here and keep the nightmares from coming back, okay?"

Elysia nodded and practically climbed into Riza's arms. He waited until they were settled before leaving the room. He returned to his own bed, but sleep still eluded him. Nearly an hour later he found himself wandering back into their room to watch his girls sleep. They were all he had left, Riza and Elysia. Things were going to have to change. They were all he had left, and he wouldn't lose them too.

* * *

Theme: If I die...


	6. Well Deserved Rest

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is an AU based on the anime.

* * *

**Well Deserved Rest**

Gracia smiled and fetched an extra blanket from the hall closet to cover Riza with. Once again the other woman had fallen asleep while watching over Roy. Riza had probably meant only to rest for a moment, but her exhaustion had caught up with her, and Riza had ended up asleep, sprawled across the bed next to Roy.

She tucked the afghan around Riza, smiling at the picture the two officers on the bed made. Riza was curled on her side facing towards Roy, her face almost tucked into his shoulder. Roy was facing her as well. Gracia hoped they were having sweet dreams. The two of them certainly deserved it after all they had been through.

There was a soft knock at the door, and she went to answer it. She knew what, or who actually, it would probably be. She was correct. On the other side of the door was a pretty, young woman in her twenties. She looked a little startled at Gracia answering the door. Gracia just sighed. This would be number twenty-seven.

"Um, who are you?"

"Gracia Hughes, dear. Now, you came to help take care of Roy? I'm sorry. He already has a live in nurse. Well, wife would be more accurate, but they haven't gone through the paperwork yet."

The girl looked quite properly taken aback. Gracia just smiled. Her response had been rather spur of the moment, but it seemed to have worked quite well. And it was true after all, even if neither Roy nor Riza realized it.

* * *

Theme: fait des beaux reves - sweet dreams


	7. Matched Set

Author's note: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. This is AU, based on the anime, and is set shortly after the end of the Ishval Conflict.

* * *

**Matched Set**

It was another early morning. Well technically, it was another late night that had turned into an early morning. She and Lt. Colonel Mustang had been in the office since yesterday going over reports. There was an audit and inspection coming up, and if all went well, the colonel would be one step closer to a promotion. At least the office had cooled off. Earlier in the day the heat had been unbearable.

She looked over at the colonel. He was surprisingly still awake. Of course, that could have to do with the amount of coffee he'd ingested in the last few hours. The glint of sliver caught her eye. He'd taken off his jacket and uniform shirt earlier and just wore the undershirt. There was something off about his dog tags though. She studied them more seriously. There was something off, but it seemed familiar to her. Her tired mind just couldn't place it though.

Her gaze had attracted Mustang's attention. "Hawkeye?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, sir."

But her tired mind wouldn't let it go, and she found herself staring at the dog tags again. Finally, she pulled out her own from under her shirt and stared at them. The two silver tags giving her vital stats and her white-gold wedding band, just the same as the colonel's. And then her brain processed the last part.

Her eyes went back to the colonel's dog tags. Yes, there was a white-gold ring hanging on them. She was standing in front of his desk before she'd realized she wanted a closer look at the ring.

"May I?"

She didn't wait for an answer, just reached over and took a hold of the chain around his neck. There was a small rational part of her brain screaming at her, but she couldn't hear it over the fatigue.

"Hawkeye, what in the world are you--"

She pulled her own dog tags out and held them next to his, scrutinizing the two rings. They matched which was odd since hers was a family heirloom. Unless of course, she was married to him. Not that Riza actually knew who she was married to; the marriage had been arranged without her knowledge or approval. She had been very unwilling to go through the whole thing, so her family had slipped her a valium the morning of the wedding. The entire ceremony had been rather hazy. So she could quite possibly be married to her colonel, given he had a matching ring.

The colonel was staring at her. "Hawkeye, you're married?"

She let the two chains fall from her fingers. "To you, I think. We need to go see my grandfather."

Mustang blinked at her. "It's three in morning."

She sighed and sank back into the chair she'd been using. "You're right. He won't be in the office until eight."

Mustang studied her. "Is being married to me such a horrible idea?"

She blushed lightly. "No, but you need me as a subordinate more than you need me as your wife right now. Who's going to watch your back if they transfer me out?"

They had talked about this before. Well, not directly, but that was what the conversation had been about. Most of what lay between them was unspoken. Acknowledged and understood, but unspoken. In some ways she was afraid that if they were married to one another, it would ruin the dynamic between them. On the other hand, it would take care of a number of problems that had had with the fact that she was married. At least, now she didn't have to worry about finding her husband and getting the marriage annulled once Roy became Fuhrur.

Somewhere between the thoughts chasing themselves in circles and the paperwork she must have dozed off for the next thing she knew, Mustang was gently tugging on her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

"Hawkeye, it's nearly seven-thirty. We have to start work soon."

"We never stopped," she mumbled; she really didn't want to wake up right now.

"You wanted to go see your grandfather, remember?"

She opened her eyes reluctantly. "Right. We'd better take care of that first."

She lead the way through the halls, stopping to get some coffee to wake them both up, heading for the offices reserved for visiting generals. Luckily, her grandfather was in town for some meeting of the top brass. They were probably deciding assignments for people now that the war had ended, and they were completely done with Ishval. She stopped at the secretary's desk.

"Does General Grumman have any free time this morning? You can tell him it's his granddaughter."

The colonel raised an eyebrow at that but otherwise didn't comment. The secretary smiled at her. "Let me check. I think he's free right now."

She came back in a moment. "Go right on in."

Once again Riza lead the way. Roy recognized the man behind the desk; he just hadn't known that he was related to Hawkeye. Lieutenant General Grumman had been one of the few who had treated him warmly from the beginning.

He smiled at them. "I've been expecting to see the two of you in my office at some point in the next few years, though I have to admit, this is sooner than I expected."

Both of them were staring at him in disbelief. Riza was torn between relief and the urge to strangle her grandfather. He could have told her he knew who her husband was ages ago and eased her worries on that matter.

"Why don't you two have a seat, and I'll see if I can answer the questions you have."

Riza took a seat, but the Mustang remained standing behind her. She glared at her grandfather. "How long have you known about this?"

"Since the wedding, though I'm sure neither of you remember that, what with one of you being drunk and the other high."

She risked a glance at Mustang. Well, that explain why he had been surprised at the discovery as well. She had wondered about that.

"Actually, we spoke quite a bit that day," her grandfather was addressing Mustang now. "That's one of the reasons I like you. You weren't just upset for yourself but also for whomever you were marrying."

"What are we going to do about this?" It came out whinier than she had intended.

"The easiest thing, of course, would be for one of you to be reassigned, but I'm fairly certain neither of you want that."

She and Mustang traded looks. He was the one who answered though. "We had already decided to put a romantic relationship between us on hold because of that. Of course that was before we realized we were married to each other."

"Well, there is the fact that you were married before entering the military and being assigned together, so that's in your favor. There is an exception to the frat regs for married couple. Of course, it's not a situation that comes up most of the time."

"How likely are they to let us stay assigned together though?" She was looking at Mustang. "I'm willing to get the marriage annulled if that's what it takes."

Her grandfather shook his head. "I don't think either of you need the trouble that would bring. If it's legal, that is. I didn't have a chance to look at the contract, but you two may be legally bound for life."

Mustang looked frustrated. "So what can we do?"

"Let me take this to the generals for you. I think I can convince them that the best thing to do is leave things as they are."

She looked at Mustang again, and he just shrugged. There really wasn't much else they could do. The two of them headed back to their office in silence. There was a strange awkwardness between them now that was bothering her. This was one of the reasons they hadn't gotten romantically involved with each other, damn it.

She settled back at her desk while the lt. colonel reached for his jacket. "I'm going to nip out for some coffee and breakfast. Would you like me to bring you back something?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Of course, that left her alone with her thoughts. She was married to Roy Mustang. The whole thing seemed rather ridiculous. She had inadvertently been forced to marry the one man she actually wanted to marry. Of course, she hadn't known that at the time. Burying her head in her hands, Riza sighed. What an utter mess. She couldn't leave him. He needed her here on his staff. As much as she wanted to be in all parts of his life, this was where he needed her the most. And now her family had once again screwed up her life.

Even if this whole thing worked out, things would be changed between the two of them. There was no way things could be the same between herself and the colonel. Everything between them had been unspoken until this point. Bringing it into the open could jeopardize both Mustang's plans as well as their relationship. She was fairly certain that neither of them was really ready to jump straight into marriage with each other. Of course, she could be over thinking things, but she just couldn't see how things would work out. She needed to protect him. There was no one else she trusted to do her job. Maes was the only person that Roy trusted on the same level, and he was not at all suited to play bodyguard. No, Maes had his own job to do, and Riza had hers, and they both were needed for Roy's plans to succeed.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the colonel's entrance until he dropped the paper cup of coffee in front of her. Riza jumped, and Roy gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Stop thinking so hard, Hawkeye. We'll take this as it comes."

Riza just sighed. "You need me as your aide and bodyguard more than you need a wife."

"That's true." He ran a hand through his hair. "But if it does happen, Havoc can replace you as bodyguard. It's not ideal, but it would work for the most part. What I can not lose is my partner and confidant. Being my wife wouldn't change that."

Riza just looked at her hands. "But I don't know how to be a wife. I can be your bodyguard. I know how to do that."

To her surprise, Mustang pulled her out of the chair and cupped her face in his hands. "All you ever have to be is Riza. That has always been enough for me."

The moment was interrupted by the rest of the staff arriving. Roy let her go and headed over to his own desk. Riza just stood there for a moment; she wasn't sure what had just happened, but something had changed. She shook her head to clear it and settled back into the paperwork of the day.

It was a fairly normal day with one exception; Roy was doing his paperwork without any prompting on her part. That was probably a good thing even if it left her feeling a little off balance. She wasn't really in the mood to play the stern lieutenant right now. This morning's revelations were still bothering her. They really didn't need this right now. Mustang had been promoted after Ishbal, but they both knew he still had a lot of work to do before he'd reach the top. There was rumor he might be transferred to Eastern and given a full team of his own choosing there. It would be an important step, and they couldn't afford to let this trip him up. There was too much at stake for the two of them to be selfish about this.

And she had told him the truth. She didn't know how to be a wife. She had never been polite society's image of a proper lady, and truthfully, she didn't really want to that. Riza wasn't even someone like Gracia who could act the part when she needed to. Mustang may have said that it didn't matter to him, but she didn't want to fail him in any capacity. As it was, most upwardly mobile officers had wives who were very active in the social circles. Gracia was the exception to that, and Riza was sure there were others, but with his plans, Roy needed someone who could move in those circles if he took a wife. Which was probably one of the reasons he had cultivated his playboy image. At this point, a wife would be a liability because keeping his plans from her would be difficult to pull off while still depending on her help with social networking and other things.

"Hawkeye?"

She actually jumped then blushed. She hadn't realized she had zoned out so badly. Mustang was looking at worriedly.

"I'm going out to lunch, Lieutenant, and then I have a meeting with our quartermaster."

Riza recognized the unspoken command to come along. She retrieved her purse and fell into step behind him. They didn't speak as they walked, but that was fine by her. To Riza's surprise, Mustang didn't head for the little deli he normally frequented. Instead, he led them to a little out of the way bistro. He gestured for her to take a seat.

"We need to deal with this, Riza. Neither of us can afford to have you worrying about this." He reached over to take her hand. "What's wrong?"

She bit her lip. "I just don't want to fail you. I can't be the wife you need. I don't know how."

"Do you know why I'm not married, Riza? There are three main reasons. One, I didn't want to put someone in danger with my plans to change the government, and we both know my wife could become a target. Two, I want what Maes and Gracia have: a partnership. I have no interest in the little social fluffheads that I'm so often seen with. There are very few women I have met who could give me that." He paused to look her directly in the eye. "Three, I couldn't ask you to leave the military until I had reached my goal. It would be unfair to put my desires before you wishes. And I was never truly sure that you shared my feelings."

She looked at him, eyes wide. And for once, her mouth got a head of her brain.

"You love me?"

He let go of her hand to touch her face. "Very much. I need you, not_ as_ anything, just you."

"I love you." The words slipped out of her mouth.

"I know, sweetheart. Are we going to be okay now?"

She nodded. "If we're going to make this work, we're going to need some ground rules."

"Such as?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her switch from nervous to practical in the space of a few minutes.

"Behavior at work for one thing. We'll need to keep this quite until some sort of decision is made. Also, there are a number of logistical things like housing. I don't even know if you want to live together. We could, of course, continue as we have, but if this is going to become public knowledge, the higher ups are going to expect some sort of change in behavior."

He traced her ring finger. "Could we wear our rings?"

"When we're not on duty maybe." She looked into his eyes. "You're taking this much better than me."

"I've wanted this since I first met you in Ishbal, and I tend to worry less than you." He smiled. "I'll probably freak out at some point later on if that makes you feel better."

Riza sighed. "You're sure this won't be a problem for you plans? I don't want to be what keeps you from the top."

"I don't know if I can make it to the top without you. In some ways, this causing trouble for me could be a good thing. Gives the brass something other than my ambition to think about." He twined their fingers together.

"We should get back, sir." She left her hand in his though.

Mustang rose to his feet, pulling her with him. "You're right as usual. It's going to be okay, Riza. We'll be fine."

They headed back to the office, both hoping for some news. There was nothing from General Grumman unfortunately, but there was a message from the auditors, informing the office of their arrival the next day at 10 o'clock sharp. That meant they had less than twenty-four hours to get everything in order. In some ways, it was a relief for Riza. With all the work to be done, she didn't have the time to worry about how the military would react to her marriage to Roy.

By eight o'clock in the evening, almost everything was ready for the next morning, and Riza was half asleep. She just had one last set of papers to get done and then she could go home and get some sleep. Thankfully, it hadn't been too hard to keep the colonel on task, and it looked like they both were going to get out of here at a reasonable hour. With a sigh, she stretched, feeling the vertebrae in her back pop.

"Finished, Hawkeye?"

"Almost, sir. We have one last set of paperwork to deal with."

He sighed. "I will be very happy when this is all over."

"The audit shouldn't last more than a day or two."

"Thankfully. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, sir."

"Neither have I. If I promise to keep working on the paperwork, will you run out and grab us something to eat?"

She gave him a stern look. "You're not going to mess around while I'm gone?"

"I promise. I'm just starving."

"I'll be back in twenty minutes, sir. I expect half of that paperwork to be finished by the time I return."

Riza headed for a little restaurant the frequently provided take out dinner for the office. It didn't take them long to throw together the usual order of a salad and half a roast beef sandwich for her and a Ruben for the colonel. She returned to find Mustang was actually halfway through the stack of paperwork. She set the sandwich and a cup of coffee on his desk before returning to her own paperwork.

It didn't take her much longer to finish with the papers. Once everything was signed and filed, she began to neaten up the office. It wouldn't do to have all the paperwork done and make a bad impression with a messy office.

"I'm finished, Hawkeye."

She turned to find him standing behind her, holding out the file.

"Thank you, sir. I think we're set for tomorrow."

"Then may I walk you home, Lieutenant?"

She gave him a long look before replying, "If you insist."

"I do."

They walked in silence for the most part. Mustang kept his hand at the small of her back, but other than that, he seemed content to just walk with her. As they reached her apartment, she turned to him with a smile. "Thank you, sir. Please be careful on your way home."

He caught her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her. It was a soft kiss, gentle and coaxing. He pulled back. "Goodnight, Riza. I'll see you tomorrow at work."

She watched as he disappeared into the night's shadows, her fingers linger on her lips. Roy Mustang had just kissed her. Technically, it wasn't their first kiss. They had been stuck under the mistletoe once, thanks to Maes, and there had been one or two other kisses, including the one at their wedding but nothing like this.

Riza let herself into her apartment feeling sort of dazed. It had been a long day, and she was definitely feeling the effects. Fixing herself a cup of chamomile tea, Riza finally allowed herself to deal with all the emotions of the day. She found herself smiling. She was married to Roy Mustang. She was married to Roy Mustang, and he was happy about it. He wanted to be married to her. She curled up in bed with her tea and a well worn copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ as she had a feeling sleep might be elusive.

However, she woke the next morning with the book barely started. She dressed with a sigh. The auditors' presence required the more formal version of her uniform, including the skirt. That would slow her down if they had to deal with any threats today. As usual she was the first one in the office. Riza kept her hands busy with fixing the morning coffee and making sure everything in the office was tidy.

Roy appeared fifteen minutes before eight, smartly dressed and looking in sore need of coffee. He had, at least, stopped to get pastries for breakfast. They should have plenty of time to eat and clean up before the auditors arrived. By nine, they were both working on the newly arrived paperwork. Roy albeit reluctantly but he knew how important today was and was being less hassle than usual.

When the auditors arrived, they were both hard at work. Mustang played host, and things actually went quite well. The entire ordeal was over by lunch, and Riza was fairly sure they had impressed the auditors. They were also informed that they would be assigned to a new posting by the end of the week. Once they had gone, Mustang let out a sigh.

"Well, I think that went well. With any luck I'll be putting together my own team by next week. It shouldn't be too hard to get Havoc reassigned to me, and we'll have to start making some discreet inquiries about some of the others on the list." He smiled at her. "One step closer."

"You still have quite a ways to go, sir."

"True. I suppose that was a subtle hint that should attend to the paperwork on my desk?"

"Yes, sir."

The rest of the week was quiet enough. There wasn't too much too do what with the assignments being decided and all. They still had not heard back from Riza's grandfather. It was making Riza slightly nervous, but at least there hadn't been any major negative reactions. The fact that no one had immediately called them on the carpet was a relief. She just hoped that some sort of decision would be made before too long; the waiting was getting to her.

It was Friday when her grandfather finally called them back to his office. They did not run, but others in the building noted that both their steps were more brisk than usual. The secretary waved them into the office.

"Take a seat, both of you."

Reluctantly, Riza sat. Her grandfather smiled at them.

"First of all, you are both being transferred to Eastern Headquarters. You are to assemble your own staff, Mustang, and will be in charge of quite a bit more from now on. You are to submit your staff request within the next two weeks and are expected to report for duty at Eastern by the end of that time."

Grumman nodded. "As to the other matter, they have decided to keep you two together for now, mostly because you come off as incredibly professional in the past and I convinced them that you truly didn't realize you were married to each other. I honestly think they will forget the whole matter in time, but for now, I would be discreet. Living together is permissible as is anything that happens in your own home, but I would be extremely circumspect in public and especially at work. Do nothing to advertise your status either. If you have to inform someone of your marriage, you may do so, but do nothing to flaunt it. They will be watching you more closely than usual for the next year, so I would be very careful in what you do."

Riza found herself relaxing for the first time in ages. Everything was going to be fine. Mustang reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, Grandfather."

He beamed at her. "I'm just glad you have a man worthy of you. Now off you go. You two have plenty to do. I'll expect to see you both in my office two weeks from now at eight o'clock sharp."

It was a clear dismissal, and they headed back to Mustang's office. Riza felt much lighter and began to compose a list of the things that would be done in the next few weeks. There was packing to be done, paperwork to be filed, apartment hunting, and shipping their belongings.

"Hawkeye, what do you say to having dinner to celebrate?"

Riza smiled. "Maybe. If you finish your paperwork."

"I promise." He sounded very much like a little boy. "I'll pick you up at eight. And wear something nice."

Rather bemused by the request, she headed home around seven. True to his word, the colonel had finished all his paperwork. Which left her sorting through her wardrobe looking for something that qualified as 'nice'. That didn't give her much of a selection. While she did have civilian clothing, most of it was practical things for running errands and working around her apartment. There was the dress she had worn at Maes and Gracia's wedding, but that was a little too formal for a dinner out with a colleague. That just left her with a simple russet dress that Gracia had convinced her to buy for the holidays.

She had just enough time to shower and change before there was a knock at her door. Opening it, she found Mustang dressed casually in a suit and bearing a bouquet of gardenias. He smiled at her. "Shall we go?"

"You didn't have to go to such trouble, sir."

"Roy," he corrected. "At least for tonight. Nobody's going to make a fuss over a promotion celebration, and we never got a chance to really get to know each other before the wedding. I thought a proper first date was in order."

"We're supposed to be keeping a low profile."

"As I said, nobody's going to make a fuss over a promotion celebration. It's a quiet little place, Riza. No one is going to notice us."

Dinner was lovely. The little bistro was fairly quiet, and they were just another couple among many. Despite the fact that they were supposed to celebrating his new assignment and team, most of the conversation was actually about the two of them. Riza had always known what was important about Roy, but now she knew that he loved classical music, hated broccoli, and knew how to cook seven different kinds of pie. It was a good evening.

"I sort of have a question for you." They were taking the long way back to her apartment along the riverside. The sun had already set, but the moon and the twilight provided a means of seeing the path.

"We're already married," she teased.

"Yes, I know. I was wondering if you wanted to get an apartment together when we move to Eastern? Or maybe a small house."

Riza blinked. "Are you sure about this?"

"I want you in my life as more than just my adjunct. And Grumman said we could live together."

She frowned a little in though. "An apartment. You'll be transferred back to Central at some point if everything goes as planned. And the housework gets split between us. I refuse to have to pick up after you at both the office and home."

He nodded. "I'm sure we can work something out."

They had arrived at her door. Riza hesitated. "Would you like to come in for some tea? We could start planning the move to Eastern."

"I'd be delighted to. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

Roy slipped his hand in hers and followed her into the apartment.

* * *

Theme: Rings


	8. Battles Lost and Wars Won

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and has spoilers for chpt. 58.

* * *

**Battles Lost and Wars Won**

There was something wrong with his room. That was Roy's first thought upon awakening, even if he couldn't figure out what was wrong. At least, until the woman in the chair next to him moved, and he realized the blond in wasn't Hawkeye.

"Gracia?" His voice held confusion.

"I made Riza go home and take a shower. I also made her promise not to come back until she'd had some real food. She'll probably be back in half an hour."

"Thank you. She gets so caught up in taking care of me that she forgets to take care of herself sometimes."

"And you get so caught up in your work to remember to take care of yourself. You two really are a matched set." Gracia smiled at him, tucking the pillows behind him so he could sit up comfortably. "And since I know you're dying to ask, she really is fine. Her injuries were minor, especially compared to yours."

He sighed with relief. He knew she'd been hurt, but she wouldn't talk about it with him, and he really couldn't help worrying about her. Her being hurt was entirely his fault. Yes, she had made the decision to follow him when he went after the Fuhrur, but knowing her as well as he did, what could he have expected? But Gracia was a trained nurse, and he trusted her opinion.

"How's Elysia?"

Before he could get an answer to that question, a nurse led three of the military's top brass, including General Haruko, into the room.

"We'll be brief, Mustang. I understand you still tire fairly easily," Haruko started, "but we thought you'd like to know that we've come to a decision about the consequences of your actions."

Roy sat up a bit straighter. That had been a quick decision. It had only been two weeks since he'd taken out the Fuhrur. He had expected them to be arguing about it for months.

General Hammond took over. "You'll be glad to hear that neither you nor Lt. Hawkeye will be facing criminal prosecution or demotion. In fact, your field promotion to Brigadier General will remain active. However, Lt. Hawkeye is being transferred, effective immediately. When she returns to active duty, she'll be under General Haruko's command."

His old chess partner shot him a sympathetic smile before giving him the last of the news. "That's the largest consequence. Lt. Hawkeye is never to be put under your command again. The two of you will continue to serve the military, just not together."

He didn't know what to say. This was something he had never expected. Gracia made an odd little noise in the back of her throat then rose to her feet. "Excuse me."

She exited the room, and they could hear what sounded like laughter coming from the hallway. Haruko looked at him strangely. "Is she quite all right?"

Roy shrugged. "Gracia's sane, if that's what you mean. Other than that, I have no idea what's going on."

Gracia returned two minutes later, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. Please continue."

The men just stared at him. Gracia smiled back, the smug smile of a cat who had gotten both the canary and the cream.

"Actually, we're done, ma'am."

The generals made a hasty retreat. Roy looked Gracia. "What's going on?"

Gracia continued to smile her little smile. "They reminded me of something Maes once said, that's all."

"What am I going to tell Hawkeye?"

The smile faded a little. "Tell her the truth, Roy. She needs to know. She won't be happy about it either."

He felt lost. "What am I going to do without her?"

Gracia shrugged. "Your own paperwork for a change? Roy, just because you don't work together anymore doesn't mean you can't remain friends."

He sighed. "I'm not sure I know how to have a normal relationship with her at this point."

"You two have never had a normal relationship." She gave him a stern look. "Don't lose her because of this, Roy. You won't be able to forgive yourself if you do."

The door opened again, and this time it was Lt. Hawkeye.

"Gracia? I'm sorry to take so long." She paused, seeing him sitting up. "Sir."

He took a deep breath. "Hawkeye, we need to talk. I just got the news about the generals' decision."

Gracia stood. "I'll let you two discuss this. Riza, come over for dinner when you're done here. Hayate misses his mommy."

Hawkeye nodded and resumed her seat by his bed. He waited until Gracia had left before taking another deep breath. "They made their decision. There's good news and bad news about that…"

* * *

Gracia set a cup of tea in front of Riza. "Still in shock?"

Riza cradled the warm cup in her hands. "Yes. I never expected this. I have to idea what to do."

Gracia sat down across from her. "It does remove some obstacles however."

"How so? The promotion does but him closer to his goal, but my not being there leaves him more vulnerable than before even if he does have the rest of his old staff."

"If you're never going to be able to serve with him again, the frat regs no longer apply."

A slow smile began to curve Riza's lips. "I hadn't thought of that."

Gracia smiled back. "And if you haven't thought of it, then Roy most certainly hasn't. I'm quite sure springing it on him in, oh say, two or three weeks when he's recovered enough for strenuous activities would be rather rewarding."

"Are you suggesting that I should ambush the man into a relationship?"

"I think you two finally have a chance to stop dancing around the subject, and you should take it. I also think that you should take the opportunity to force the issue before Roy convinces himself to do something stupid like avoid you for the rest of your lives because he's not good enough for you. You know he has the tendency to do things like that."

Riza nodded. "You're right about that. Still…"

Gracia reached over to grip her hand. "Riza, at this point the only thing that's going to keep you two apart is yourselves."

She ducked her head and blushed. "It's just…I don't have any practical experience in this area. At all."

Gracia's eyebrows went up. "You're joking."

"I'm not. I met Roy when I was six. I knew I was in love with him by the time we were in Ishval. I was sixteen then. There's not exactly a lot of time for me to gain experience in there."

"I see." Gracia took a sip of her tea. "In that case, it's probably a good thing that we have about two weeks for planning. Honestly, Riza, all you'll need to do is give the man the incentive, and he'll take the lead. You just need to convince him that this is what you want. We should have plenty of time to figure out the best approach to this."

"You're sure that two weeks will be time enough for him to have recovered enough to be up to this?"

Gracia nodded. "They're releasing him this week. In another two weeks, most of the stitches will be out, and he'll be off most of the pain medications."

Riza took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Elysia has a play date with one of her friends on Thursday. I'll come over, and we can start planning. When do you go back to work?"

"Next week."

"Okay. Don't look so nervous. Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

Roy felt odd. That was the only way he could describe it. He'd been released from the hospital at the beginning of the week, and it would be another week and half before he could go back to work. Hawkeye had remained a regular visitor while he was at the hospital, but she'd only dropped by once or twice now that he was home. There was an awkwardness between anymore. They couldn't seem to figure out how to treat one another. They'd been in the military together most of their adult lives, and it was difficult to set aside years of training and habit when dealing with each other.

He missed her. It felt so strange not to have her beside him most of the day. He had never really thought about her not being there. Well, that wasn't true. He worried about her getting hurt or killed because of him many times. He'd just hadn't thought about what that would mean to his daily life.

And he couldn't quite bring himself to ask her to come visit him. He felt rather guilty over the state of things. She'd been injured and reassigned due to her involvement with his plans. Oh, he knew there was no way in hell he could have talked her out of it, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. He knew she had returned to work this week, and he worried about her. He knew absolutely nothing about Haruko's record with female officers. Hawkeye had served under him most of her career, and between himself, Maes, and the rest of the guys in the office, it had been a well known fact that one did not hassle Lt. Hawkeye in any way, shape, or form. If she didn't take you to task for it, someone from her office would. Now she no longer had that protection. He wasn't really sure if she needed it, but he would feel better knowing she had it.

In many ways, he didn't know where to go from here. The system still needed to be changed; removing Bradley didn't solve all the problems. However, he would have to tread carefully until he knew where exactly he stood with the new powers that be. And as much as hated the idea, he should probably stay away from Hawkeye for now. There was no need to get the brass unnecessarily interested in her.

* * *

"So, how's work?"

Riza seated herself in the chair opposite Gracia. "More than a little odd. I never realized how used working with Roy I was until now. There are so many little things that seem out of place now."

Gracia waved the waiter over. "Like what?"

"Oh, like the fact that when General Haruko comes in in the morning, he doesn't fix his own coffee and then bring me my cup of tea. Or the fact that my desk isn't arranged so that I have a clear line of fire at the office door. They're things I only really notice in their absence."

Gracia simply shook her head as Riza ordered her tea. "If I wasn't already convinced that you were completely head over heels in love that man, this would do it. So what do we have to get ready for next week?"

"We need to go shopping. You said something about proper clothing."

"Right. There's nothing like having the proper clothing to give you confidence. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."

Riza bit her lip. "What about this weekend? A pair of my friends from Western are going to be in town, and they would enjoy dragging me around to various lingerie stores."

Gracia grinned. "Sure, why not? The more the merrier. I'm bringing a camera by the way."

Riza made a face. "I thought you were my friend."

"I am. Part of a friend's job is to tease you mercilessly. Just ask Roy." Gracia laughed.

The shopping excursion proved to be highly amusing for three of the four women. Riza was a little relived to find that both Noin and Quistis were also shopping for under things as well and by the fact that they had done this before.

"So what colors are you looking for?" Noin asked. "I know Quistis is looking for something in either pale blue or sea foam green. I want something in violet black would work too."

Gracia jumped in. "I've been thinking either something in navy or something in red, but a dark red, more like wine or burgundy. I'm also worried about navy being to similar to her uniform."

Quistis nodded. "That could be a problem. Burgundy would be good I think. It matches her eyes."

Riza sighed. "I am in the room, you know."

"Oh, we know." Noin patted her shoulder. "This wouldn't be as much fun if you weren't."

Riza pulled a face at her. She was beginning to regret introducing the three women to each other. It was bad enough when Quistis and Noin ganged up on her, adding Gracia to the mix seemed to be just asking for trouble. She had never liked shopping, and now she found herself being dragged throughout all of Central to various shops.

The four women took a break for lunch at a little café. None of them had found anything suitable for any of them yet. Riza was beginning to regret agreeing to this as the next round of shopping began. And this time they had a streak of luck. Noin found what she was looking for in the first store they tried after lunch and Quistis two stores after that. Then they were solely focused on finding something for Riza, which was more than a little intimidating.

In the end, Riza ended up with a matching robe, teddy, and underwear in burgundy as well as a new dress with matching underwear and garter belt because the other woman claimed that eventually she and Roy would go on a real date, and she would want to knock his socks off when they did. Riza was also beginning to get nervous. At this point, everything was in place; it was just left to her to go through with it. Her biggest fear at this point was that she and Gracia had read the situation wrong, and she would loose Roy's friendship.

* * *

Roy really had had no idea how much Riza improved working conditions until she was gone. He'd been back at work for nearly a week now, and he missed her more than ever. It just wasn't the same without her in the office. He said his goodbyes to Havoc as the man dropped him off in front of his apartment building. Gracia had invited him to dinner this evening, and he hadn't been able to say no. So he'd spent the evening talking with Gracia and playing with Elysia. Gracia had sent him home around seven with an odd little smile playing around her lips. He was still trying to figure out what she was up to.

The doorknob opened easily under his fingertips, and he tried to remember if he'd locked it this morning.

"Welcome home."

Riza was curled up in his chair with a book. The lamp on the table next to her illuminated her face which seemed more open than he remembered it being in a long time. He was used to the masks they wore.

"Riza?"

She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hi."

He blinked. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Riza set her book on the end table. "It's a rather long story involving Gracia being far too much like Maes and my friends enjoying embarrassing me."

That simply confused him. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "We don't work together any more. We might never work together again. But I refuse to lose you from my life. We've been through too much together for me to give up now."

His head felt fuzzy. What was her point? They didn't work together. Of course, that didn't mean they couldn't still be together at times, and once he was Fuhrur…then what she was trying to tell him made sense.

Roy took a breath; either he was delusional or she was right, and they didn't have to wait until he was Fuhrur anymore. He hoped it was the later. Riza rose to her feet, and he was struck with the realization she was wearing a bed robe. It was a very nice bed robe at that, shiny and in a dark burgundy that brought out her eyes. Of course, there was still the question of why she was wearing a bed robe in his apartment.

Riza's hands were on his shoulders. "You're thinking too much."

And then she was kissing him which was an incredibly pleasant experience. She didn't seem to have much knowledge of what to do, but that was fine. He knew what he was doing, and she had always been a quick study.

Several minutes later they had parted due to lack of air, though Riza still stood within the circle of his arms. He was having trouble figuring out if this was reality or not. If it was a dream, he wasn't sure he wanted to wake up. He rested his cheek on the top of her head. Then Riza turned her head slightly and began trailing kisses along his neck.

"Riza…" his voice trailed off as she moved her lips to his pulse.

She drew away slightly to look him in the eye. "We've waited years now. We don't have to wait any longer."

"Are you sure about this?" As much as he wanted this, wanted her, if she was going to regret this in morning, they weren't going to go through with it. As long as he had her in his life, he'd be content; he wasn't about to risk losing her over something they could wait on.

"Do I look unsure to you?" She punctuated the question with another kiss.

That was all it took to convince him.

There was something comfortable about this. He wasn't used to waking up with someone else in the bed. Typically, he left before morning. But Riza's body snuggled against his side was both comforting and comfortable. He'd always worried that their first morning would be awkward and uncomfortable.

Riza stirred then turned over and buried her face in his shoulder. He brushed some hair from her face. "Morning."

She blinked sleepily at him then smiled. "Hi."

"Can we do this again?"

She brushed the hair out of his eyes. "The sex or the waking up together?"

"Both, especially the waking up part."

She smiled, that slow, real smile he'd rarely seen when they worked together. She kissed his nose. "That sounds fine to me."

"Do you need to run take care of Black Hayate?"

"Gracia said she'd take care of him for the weekend." Riza sighed a little. "She was right."

"Right about what?" He slid an arm around her, bringing her closer.

"The generals did do us a favor in a way. Of course, they might regret it in the end."

"I'll give them a nice retirement pension when I'm Fuhrur."

* * *

Theme: A Battle Lost


	9. What's Next

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. I also do not own Disneyland.

* * *

**What's Next?**

Roy Mustang stands on the steps in front of military headquarters surrounded by the press. They crowded him, each trying to get his question answered.

"Can you explain why--"

"How will this will change--"

"Roy Mustang, you've exposed a conspiracy in the military, battled homunculi, and become the new Fuhrur. What are you going to do next?"

He turned and a smile spread across his face. "I'm going to marry Riza Hawkeye."

* * *

Theme: Soon you will be sitting on top of the world


	10. Birthday Girl

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Birthday Girl**

When she walked into the office that morning, Riza Hawkeye found her desk cover with several cards and three baskets of gifts. She accepted birthday greetings from her co-workers as she fixed her morning tea then sat down to take care of the mess on her desk.

There was a card from her maternal grandfather with a gift certificate to the gun shop she often frequented as well as a card from Gracia Hughes with pictures drawn by Elysia. The third card was from two of her girlfriends in the military with info on a weekend at a local spa for the three of them as a birthday treat. There was also a note threatening Brigadier General Mustang if he didn't give her that weekend off.

With the cards dealt with, she moved onto to the baskets. She started with the largest of them which the card informed her was from Major Tristan House, the newest member of the general's staff. He was also the one person the general had not handpicked. The card read:

_My darling Riza,_

_Happy Birthday! I hope these small tokens of affection are pleasing to you. Remember you're not growing older, only better._

_Tristan_

With a sigh, she began to unload the basket. First off was a large bouquet of bright red roses. That was followed by a large box of chocolate covered cherries. Under the chocolates was a large bottle of designer perfume and a jewelry box that contained a large, ornate necklace, and at the bottom was a copy of the latest action/suspense best selling novel. With another sigh, Riza replaced the gifts in the basket and it behind her desk to be dealt with later. What she was going to do with most of it, she had no idea.

The next was a collective effort from her various co-workers. The card was simple:

_Happy Birthday Captain Hawkeye!_

_Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Kain Fuery, Alex Louis Armstrong, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Edward & Alphonse Elric, Winry Rockbell_

She smiled as she began looking through the basket. It was easy to tell which gifts came from whom. The gun cleaning supplies were from Havoc, and the doggy toys for Hayate were from Fuery. Falman had most likely chosen the book, a mystery novel, while Breda's offering were the maple sugar candies to go with her tea. The vanilla lotion and bath set were obviously from Maria. Brosh was most likely responsible for the new hair clip, and the fountain pen had to be from Armstrong, it had sparkles. The Elrics and Winry had given her the new tags for Hayate's collar, the tags made by the brothers and the engraving done by Winry.

They were all thoughtful gifts that she would enjoy. Then she came to the last basket. It was the smallest of the three, and the card was a simple slip of paper reading:

_Happy Birthday Riza!_

There was not signature, but then, she knew that handwriting almost as well as she knew her own. A little bundle of lavender and forget-me-knots was tucked next to a cloth cover book which turned out to be the newest novel by her favorite author. There was also a little bottle of sandalwood perfume she liked as well as a little box of various truffles from a local sweet shop she liked. There was also a little box with a pair of amber stud earrings and an amber heart pendant strung on a black cord. They were simple gifts for the most part and really not that expensive, but they were all things she would really enjoy. They had all been chosen with her likes and dislikes in mind, and that meant a lot to her.

As another present to her, the boys including the general, all got their paperwork done, so she could leave at six instead of having to stay late as usual. She headed home, making several stops along the way. First was the secretarial pool where she left the chocolate covered cherries; they would enjoy them, and they were often a good source of news. After that she stopped by the cemetery where she left the roses with Maes. The perfume and necklace would be harder to deal with. The novel could be donated to the local library. When she reached her apartment, the basket from her co-workers was set on the kitchen table, and she fed Hayate. The basket from the general was set on her dresser, and she decided she wanted a shower before staring on dinner.

She stepped out of the shower half an hour to find dinner simmering on the stove, and Roy puttering around the kitchen. Riza slid her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "You didn't have to make me dinner."

He turned, shifting them both so he could kiss her. "It's your birthday. You deserve a little pampering."

"Does this have anything to do with Major House's gifts this morning? Not that I mind. Dinner, that is. I have no idea what to do with either the perfume or the necklace."

Hr sighed. "The dinner I had planned earlier, but I will admit to being partially inspired by his recent attentions to you. It's not that I don't trust us, but I dislike the fact that he can you treat you the way you deserve when I can't."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I deserve a bunch of stuff that I don't want or need?"

Riza cuddled a little closer to him, becoming serious. "I don't need anything other than you. That's all I've ever needed, and I'll take you anyway I can have you. Even if that means we have to keep us a secret."

He turned the burner off, so the cheese fondue wouldn't burn then pulled her flush against his chest. His arms held her tightly, almost fiercely. His face buried in her hair. "I want more than that for us. I hate having to sneak around like an unfaithful husband. You deserve more than that."

"I deserve to be happy. You're the only man I have ever wanted in my life."

He kissed her then, teasing just a little before pulling away. "Go get changed, and we'll have dinner first, dessert later."

* * *

Theme: Birthday


	11. It's Not That Sort of Thing

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. AU.

* * *

**It's Not That Sort of Thing**

"It's not that sort of thing," she tells Maria. "I always help Roy clean his apartment once every three months. If not, we'd have several sentient species of mold running around. He's always had trouble with the finer points of housekeeping, even when were kids."

She turns back to her work with a sigh. Must everyone see some sort of harlequin romance in their friendship in their friendship? They were childhood friends, and she was hard pressed to remember a time when she didn't know him. Of course they were close. Besides, they were happy with being friends and co-workers.

* * *

"It's not that sort of thing," he tells Hughes while fiddling with the engine of Riza's car. "I just don't want her to get stranded somewhere when I can fix this in a couple of hours. Besides, I promised her dad I would look after her."

He sighs, sticking his head back under the hood. Just because Maes was happily married and had a baby on the way didn't mean that Roy needed to settle down and start a family as well. It wasn't a big deal anyway; he was just fixing the car. Riza could take care of herself as he well knew. He just didn't want her to have to worry about it.

* * *

"It's not that sort of thing," they tell the waitress when she asks when the wedding is.

The woman looks amused, but says nothing more as she takes their orders. It's their regular Friday working lunch, though a new restaurant. They go over the cases on the docket as the tomatoes disappear out of her salad and into his. He likes them, and she doesn't, so why let them go to waste? He orders dessert while she's in the bathroom. They share while finalizing the details for the court appearance next week.

There's the obligatory fight over who gets the check which Roy wins for the third time this month. They head out the door and back to work, bickering once again over his procrastinating on his paperwork.

* * *

Theme: Admitting the Truth


	12. I Am Twenty Eight

Author's note: I do not own FMA or its characters.

* * *

**I Am Twenty-Eight**

I am twenty-eight, and I'm going to be a mother. It's hard to believe. I never thought I'd get the chance. Sometimes, I'm still in shock over the fact that I'm married. I didn't think I'd survive the revolution.

Correction, I didn't think _we'd_ survive the revolution. If Roy hadn't made it neither would I. There are always dangers in taking down a dictator, especially when you're leading the opposition, and new governments always need scapegoats. Better a dead martyr than a live troublemaker.

But we survived; they let us live. We were married last year. It was funny. I knew how much the opportunity meant to us, but I had no idea how important it was to all those around is. It almost seemed that our wedding was more of a triumph for them than creating a democratic government for our country.

I'm fairly certain that if Roy and I hadn't announced our engagement, we would have been kidnapped and forced to wed. It meant that much to them that we finally got our chance to be together.

It was a good celebration. Oh, there had been plenty of celebrations in the course of the changes in the country, but the wedding was purely for us. It was our first real chance to really relax and spend time together, share the sorrow and really rejoice.

It was a small wedding, just our close-knit group and a few others we couldn't leave out. No one was surprised when Winry caught my bouquet at the reception. Last year really was our year fore weddings; we had five in all. I doubt it will be long before my child has several playmates.

It used to be one of my favorite daydreams. We'd run off, change our names, get married, and settle down in the middle of nowhere to start a family. I never really expected to get it though. Not like I have. Reality is better than any dream. It may not be perfect, but perfection would be boring.

I spend a lot of time in the nursery these days. It's by no means ready yet, but we have another four months to go. It's coming together though. I do hope someone else gets pregnant soon, or this little baby is going to be the most spoiled in the country. The nursery is already almost completely stocked due to gifts. Thankfully, they've all been lovely and tasteful so far. There's everything from the mobile Winry made to Gracia's crocheted blankets and gowns to the beautiful crib and cradle the boys from the office provided.

Of course, the downside of it all is everyone fussing over me. You'd think I was made of glass the way they act. I have survived war, revolution, and ten years of being a woman in a man's job. Pregnancy is not going to kill me. And Roy is the worst of them. Granted, he has more reason than most to be concerned. He's one of the few people who knows childbirth nearly killed my mother and so ruined her health that she was dead by the time I was four. But somehow I'm fairly certain I'm made of sterner stuff than my mother.

He's also in conspiracy with the rest of the males that I know. They are all convinced that the baby will be a girl. I'm fairly certain that it's a boy. Not that it really matters either way. We have names picked out for both genders. It will either be Christopher Maes or Rowan Mea. Either way we'll have named our firstborn after Roy's best friend. I miss Maes especially now. He was always telling Roy he needed to get married, and he'd be so pleased with the way things have turned out. He was our first real loss and still the one that hurts the most.

The leaves are just turning these days when I walk home. In a few short months I'll be a mother. It scares me to death and fills me with a sense of awe at the same time. I can still remember when Elysia was born, and I held my goddaughter for the first time. She was such a source of hope and joy at that time, and I knew I really wanted a child of my own some day. I just never thought I would have the chance. I knew the only person I ever wanted a child with was Roy, and at that time, we were still forbidden, something that didn't seem likely to change.

It's almost fitting that my child will be born in the middle of winter. A spark of hope in the darkest and coldest part of the year. I lean back into the warmth of my husband's arms, content. I'm twenty-eight, and I'm going to be a mother.

* * *

Theme: Can I have this?


	13. Your Friend

Author's note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and contains spoiler for manga chpt. 58.

* * *

**Your Friend**

It wasn't easy being a member of one of the city's founding families when your family had fallen on hard times. Especially when it came to social obligations. Riza didn't want to be here, and she would be gone as soon as it was polite to leave. The young woman sat in her chair off in a corner of the room, safe from having to make polite conversation for the most part. Polite conversation was uncomfortable, and pity was worse. She was a little lonely, yes, but she didn't want to talk to these people anyway. It wasn't like she could actually talk about the situation with them anyway. Besides, while her family name had gotten her into the same school as most of the other teens here, they did not move in the same circles, and most of them didn't let her forget it.

Sometimes she wished her father would hurry up and die, so she could leave. Of course, those thoughts always brought a flood of guilt with them. It wasn't his fault he was in the hospital with brain cancer, dying by inches. She couldn't blame him for that. There were things she probably could have blamed him for: his wariness of doctors that didn't let them catch the cancer until it was almost too late, his refusal to accept any kind of treatment, his refusal to just let go. Mostly she didn't though, blame him that was. Her father was slowly dying, and the waiting was killing her. If she had a say in the matter, she would have asked them to pull the life support months ago instead watching these last three months of intense pain and insanity. But she was sixteen and technically still a minor, so she hadn't been given a choice.

One of the adults stopped by her chair, and Riza spent the next few minutes politely answering questions. What she really wanted to say was: "Well, my father's insane, in excruciating pain, and dying. Other than that, he's fine of course. And yes of course, I'm fine as well."

She wasn't fine. She was doing her best not to fall apart, but honestly, she was sixteen years old, and her father was dying. It would be hard not to fall apart, especially when she was an only child and had already lost her mother when she was a toddler. She was completely alone at this point, and she was collapsing under the emotional strain. And maybe the worst part was there was no one who realized it.

And so she sat there, looking the picture of a shy wallflower in her high necked burgundy cocktail dress. She wasn't showing as much skin as the other girls here, but that was fine by her. She wasn't going risk anyone finding out. Riza could pinpoint the each moment she really began to worry about her father's health. Her back bore a constant reminder of it. Her father had asked her to take custody of his alchemy research in case anything happened to him. It has been shortly after they'd discovered the cancer, and she had agreed. Then she'd found out want he'd meant by the request, and it had been too late to refuse. The sum of all his research was tattooed onto her back in red ink.

The only other person who knew about the tattoo was her father's old student. Roy had been there when her father collapsed this last time. He'd helped her get everything arranged with the hospital before heading back to his university. Roy had come to visit her father and try to get him to finish teaching him the secrets of flame alchemy. Her father and Roy hadn't seen eye to eye since Roy had decided to go to university on the military scholarship that had been offered him. Riza had never thought it fair how her father kept stringing Roy along in his lessons, never quite teaching him enough to actually understand how flame alchemy worked.

She'd shown him the array afterwards. He had asked what would happen to her father's research, and she had shown him. She trusted Mustang's judgment even if her father didn't. There were times that Riza felt a little guilt over it, but for the most part, she was happy with her decision. She knew he had gone on to pass the State Alchemy exams and become the newest State Alchemist. She rather missed him, he had lived with them for years before going off to university, but she was glad he had been able to actually use her father's research for something.

A pair of girls passed her on their way over to the punch, giggling about one boy or another and pausing just long enough to eye her disdainfully. Riza schooled her face to show no expression. This too was typical, both of them and of her. The song changed, and she sighed, closing eye for a moment.

A pair of warm hands wrapped around hers, drawing her up out of her seat. Roy grinned at her.

"Come're. I can't give you a proper hug unless you stand up."

He held her tightly, with her face pressed against his shoulder and his face buried in her hair.

"You should have called me. I would have been here sooner if I'd known you needed me."

He pulled her out farther and onto the dance floor. His arms readjusted around her, shifting them into dance positions. Riza let him, grateful for the chance to lean against someone for a change.

* * *

Theme: The Audience


	14. Kiss It Better

Author's note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is slightly AU and contains spoilers for manga chpt. 58 and on.

* * *

**Kiss It Better**

She was six, and he was nine when they first met. Two weeks later, she skinned her knee on the way home the village school. Her father was too busy with his alchemy research to notice his daughter's silent tears. Roy had bandaged her knee.

"It still hurts." She scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

"That's because I haven't kissed it better yet." He pressed a kiss to her knee. "There, all better."

He was eleven, and she was eight when he accidentally sliced his finger open while making dinner. Riza silently bandaged his finger then pressed her lips to the digit.

"All better." She smiled.

She was fourteen, and he was seventeen when Roy left his teacher's home. The night before he left, Riza burned her hand taking dinner out of the oven. Roy held her hand under cold water for two minutes before kissing her palm.

"There, all better now."

He was twenty-one, and she was eighteen when they met again in Ishbal. That night when they sat alone by the fire, Riza noticed his hands were chapped and swollen from the fabric of his gloves. She produced a little bottle of lotion from her kit and gently applied it. She kissed his fingertips before replacing the gloves.

"There, it's all better now."

She was just nineteen, and he was twenty-two when she asked him to destroy the array. Once Dr. Knox had treated her burns, Roy perched on her bed watching her with worried eyes.

"It hurts," she admitted quietly.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to the bandages that covered her back. His voice trembled slightly. "There, all better."

He was thirty, and she was twenty-six when he destroyed the homunculus Lust. She stopped it his apartment briefly after he was released from the hospital to make sure he something edible to eat and change his bandages. Once she had finished rewrapping the bandages, she lightly pressed her lips to the dressing.

"All better."

She was twenty-seven, and he was thirty when the Fuhrur transferred her from Mustang's unit. The day after she met Pride, Mustang showed up at her apartment with a small bouquet of flowers and groceries. He silently fixed dinner for them while she put the flowers in water. She had just put the flowers on the table when he caught her wrist. He first kissed the cut on wrist and then the one on her cheek.

"There, it's all better."

He was thirty-four, and she was thirty-one when Rowan fell and skinned her knee playing chase with Edwin. She came crying to Roy.

"Daddy, kiss it better!"

Roy smiled at his pregnant wife and got the first aid kit.

* * *

Theme: Kiss


	15. Mist and Shadows

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Mist and Shadows**

You're staring at me. Yeah, you with the fancy beer. You're either thinking one of two things: that I don't fit in with this crowd or that you'd like to get me in your bed. I'd go with the former. It's the safer of the two, and while I don't read minds, I have friends who do. As for not fitting in, I'm aware I look rather out of place with the Halloween crowd. However, I'm more at home with the Halloween crowd than you'd think. Well, not the Halloween crowd as much as some of the things that are associated with Halloween: ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, magic.

They exist you know, the stuff of scary stories and legends. You might even know a few. They live among us. Those of us who know about them refer to it as the Shadowworld, the world that lives in the shadows of our own. They keep to the shadows in part by choice and in part by tradition.

You're wondering how I know all this. No, I'm not a Shadowworlder, not technically. I'm just a regular human. There's nothing incredibly special about me except for my skill with a gun. That and I'm bonded to one of the Shadowworld's most powerful alchemists. He's the guy over by the bar, trading recipes with the bartender. He also one of the reasons it's safer for you not to hit on me. Roy can be rather overprotective at times.

And now you're thinking he doesn't look that dangerous. Looks can be deceiving, and believe me, if he wanted you to be afraid of him, you would be. That's Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist of the Shadowworld. About the only other alchemists who can compare to him in skill and power are the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother. There's a reason no one challenged the fact that I walked into his life and the Shadowworld and made myself at home.

Many of the powers that be in the Shadowworld weren't too happy about that. Well, when I was simply his bodyguard, they were more amused than anything else. They didn't see the point of him having a perfectly ordinary bodyguard with no supernatural abilities whatsoever. Not that either Roy or I cared what they thought. The more they underestimated me the better. Of course, their opinions rather changed after Roy and I took down Pride on our own. That rather convinced them that I meant business.

It was only when they realized that we were a bonded couple did they start having problems with the partnership. They had hoped he would bond with a powerful Shadowworlder. Mostly because they were hoping for him to father a brood of extremely powerful children that the powers that be could mold from an early age. Not going to happen. Well, the children part will in another few years, but neither Roy nor I have any intention of letting our kids be political pawns.

Anyway, what you want to know is how I got involved in all of this. That's easy enough. Roy was an idiot.

Three years ago, I was eighteen, and my father had just died. Not that I knew him well. My mother had been murdered when I was five, and from that time on, I spent the majority of my time in the boarding schools my grandfather sent me two. I was planning to go to the University of Amestris and study law. And then came the funeral.

My father was not exactly a sociable man. He was obsessed with his research, so I wasn't that surprised that there was no outpouring of help and sympathy when he died. However, I would have appreciated some. And then Roy Mustang showed up. He claimed he'd studied under my father. And he took care of everything. The funeral arrangements, all the paperwork, taking care of the estate. And me, he took care of me. Made sure I had everything I needed for school, arranged for an apartment near campus, everything I need was taken care of. He even helped me move in. Roy left me with his card in case I ever needed anything. And that could have been the end of things.

Except, I took a shortcut home from a class one rainy night and walked right into the Shadowworld. Roy was in a rather nasty fight when it started raining, and unfortunately for him, rain impedes the gloves he normally uses for his alchemy. He was in trouble when I stumbled across the whole thing. Trouble which I took care of. My mother was murdered when I was five. I dealt with it in part by becoming an expert shot. I don't go out without at least one gun on me.

So I interrupted things. Got a little alchemy thrown my way. Shot the guy a few times before he limped off. Contrary to what Roy says, I did not have hysterics afterwards. I took Roy back to my apartment where I fixed myself a strong cup of tea and demanded some answers. I think Roy was more than a little surprised at how easily I accepted the fact that the things that go bump in the night aren't fairytales, but he did take me up on my offer of help next time he had to go out in the rain. Actually, it wasn't so much an offer as the comment, "If you powers don't work reliably in the rain, at least have the common sense to take some back who can work in the rain with you. Are you lacking the common sense given to a goat?"

I actually didn't expect to see him again after that. I actually have his best friend in part to thank for our next meeting. Roy showed up after one of my classes with the offer to take me out to coffee and talk. As it had been an eight o'clock class, I agreed. The next think I knew I was agreeing to accompany him to a meeting.

"I'm not too concerned," he had said, "but given that there are several sources of water around the meeting place, it seemed practical to take someone who can function when wet along."

We ended up soaked to the skin as well as lucky to not to be sporting any serious injuries. Roy dragged us both to his best friend's girlfriend's apartment. Gracia has some minor healing ability besides being a very strong empath. Before I knew it, I had acquired the first real girl friend I'd had in years, and Roy was pretty much stuck with me. After all, it was clear that someone needed to keep him from getting himself killed. Besides, if people were going to be running around in the shadows fomenting plots, I wanted to be in on it. I prefer to know what's going on rather than being a witless bystander.

You're still staring at me like I'm a piece of meat. Given that I'm simply thinking all this at you, I'm not that surprised. Just trust me though; I'm not a conquest you can make. Do yourself a favor and find someone else to try to drag into bed. Not a succubus, of course, as then I'd probably end up spending my evening saving you from being killed by a soul devouring sex demon, but I'm off the market. I'll probably have at least another three or four crises to solve tonight, and dealing with horny, drunken idiots like yourself is not something I want to deal with as well. Besides, Roy's noticed you now. I'd give you about five minutes to move on before he decides to do something about it.

* * *

Theme: Shadow ; Flame ; Footfall ; Ouch


	16. Puppy Love

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU and set after the end of the manga.**  
**

* * *

**Puppy Love**

Elysia had never understood why the adults always sighed and shook their heads over her Uncle Roy and Auntie Riza. She knew that they would get their happy ending. How could they not? They had Black Hayate after all. Everyone knew that you needed a dog for a happy ending. And since Auntie Riza had Black Hayate, it was just a matter of time until she and Uncle Roy got their happy ending.

That was why she had insisted Hayate be her companion when she walked down the aisle as Auntie Riza's flower girl. Elysia might have been almost ten, but Auntie Riza had promised she could be a flower girl, and that was what she was going to do. She beamed throughout the ceremony, reminding another of the guests of her father. When Uncle Roy was finally given permission to kiss Auntie Riza, her mommy, who was the matron of honor, started crying.

Elysia sighed and her voice rang throughout the room. "I told you they'd get their happy ending, Mommy."

* * *

Theme: Black Hayate


	17. The Old Hawkeye House

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**The Old Hawkeye House**

The old Hawkeye place sat at the edge of town. It was a decrepit Victorian building with rambling, overgrown grounds. No one had lived there in at least seven year now. Some people claimed it was haunted. Others said that old man Hawkeye had been murdered there. Still others would bring up the mysterious death of his wife less than five years after their wedding. The bare facts of the matter were no one went there.

"This is stupid, Ed."

"You didn't have to come."

"Who else is going to keep you from getting yourself from getting killed?"

"Brother, Winry, are you sure we should be here?"

The two long haired blonds turned to glare at Ed's younger brother.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Al?"

"Oh, get off his case, idiot boy. Let's just do this."

Edward Elric wasn't afraid of much. In fact, probably the only thing he was regularly afraid of was his best friend, Winry Rockbell. So when Ling Yao had said he didn't have the guts to spend Halloween night at the old Hawkeye place, he'd told his friend to put his money where his mouth was. Winry had found out, of course, and Al wouldn't be left behind, so here the three of them were.

The house loomed before them. The trio peered through the iron fence, contemplating the winding path up to the house itself. It was clear that there had been attempts to tame the ivy that had most definitely failed.

"Well," Winry demanded. "Are we going in or not?"

Ed shot a glare at her but reached for the gate. The rusted metal let out a screech. Al covered his ear, and Winry just sighed. The trio inched their way up the path, huddling together avoiding the shadows. Ed tripped over a stray vine nearly bringing Winry down with him. They managed to regain their footing, but Winry's hand remained tightly clasped in his. The trio's progressed was hampered by the attack of spider webs on Al and Winry's getting caught in a bramble of blackberries. Finally, they reached the porch.

The three of the stared at the rickety steps. Winry elbowed Ed in the side.

"This was your stupid dare. You go first."

He glared at her but took a hesitant first step. The entire porch moaned. Ed fell back. Al tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother, is there supposed to be a light on inside?"

"Of course not. The house is abandoned. Why?"

Al gulped. "There's a light on the second floor. And it's moving."

Three pairs of eyes shot up to see a flicker of light before it disappeared. Winry and Ed traded looks.

"It's probably nothing," Ed decreed, gritting his teeth. "Let's go."

Engulfed in creaks and moans, they ascended the steps to the porch. Shivering, the trio huddled together surrounded by cobwebs shadows. The front door stood before them. With Al and Winry clinging to him, Ed approached the door. Supposedly, it was unlocked. All they had to do was walk through that door and sit inside the house for a few hours. It would be a piece of cake.

His hand reached for the doorknob. It suddenly jerked out of his grasp, and delighted laughed came spilling out the door.

"I didn't say I wanted to live here, Roy. I just said it brought back memories." A blond woman stood in the doorway, oil lamp in hand. "Besides, do you want your son growing up in a drafty old place without electricity?"

"It's going to be a girl!" came the disembodied reply.

The woman turned, finally taking in the trio on her doorstep. "Oh. What are you doing here? Somehow, I don't think we're on the trick or treating list."

Ed flushed. "We thought the house was abandoned, ma'am."

Sharp eyes caught the fact that all three of them were shivering. With a soft smile, she held the door open. "Come inside, and we'll see if we can get you warmed up. You can explain then."

The inside of the house wasn't nearly as dilapidated as its outside. It was clearly out of use as nearly all the furniture was covered in drapes, but there was a roaring fire in the hearth. It didn't take much urging for the teens to seat themselves in front of it. The woman took a seat in one of the few uncovered chairs.

"I think introductions are in order. I'm Riza Mustang."

Winry frowned. "But it's the Hawkeye house. Why are you here?"

Riza just laughed. "Because I used to be Riza Hawkeye. I've only been Riza Mustang for about five years."

"Riza?" A dark haired man appeared carrying a pair of mugs. His eyebrows rose as he surveyed the trio on the hearth, and he sighed. "I'll get more cider."

He pressed one of the mugs in her hands before disappearing again.

"I'm Edward Elric. That's my brother, Alphonse, and our friend, Winry Rockbell. We sort of took a dare to spend the night here."

"I see."

Her husband returned, handing out mugs of hot apple cider before seating himself at his wife's feet.

"So, why would anyone dare you to spend the night here? Other than the cold, I can't really see the challenge to it." He smiled up at his wife. "It used to be you had to spend the night in the old mausoleum in the graveyard."

"Then the house isn't haunted?" Al was wide-eyed.

The couple laughed. Roy smirked. "Not that I know of. It certainly wasn't when I lived here, and no one else has lived here since Riza moved out."

"But what about the murders?" Winry burst out. "The spirits of the dead don't haunt the house, seeking justice?"

"What murders?" Roy asked puzzled. He looked up at Riza. "It's been, what seven years since either of us has been here?"

She nodded. "Seven years in November."

"Has anybody died here in that time?"

"No," Ed said. "No one has lived here since then."

"All right. So what murders? There's only been one death in this house that I know of, and that was of natural causes."

"So no one was actually killed here?" Ed was feeling triumphant. He knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Not really." Riza smiled sadly. "My mother was murdered, but that took place over by the cemetery, not here."

"So you moved away after your father died?" Winry asked.

Riza nodded. "Almost immediately after. I didn't have the skills to get a job here, and my only other choice was get married which I wasn't ready to do."

"Hold on," Ed interrupted. He frowned at Roy. "You said you lived here. How's that possible if it's the Hawkeye house?"

"Professor Hawkeye was my alchemy instructor. I lived here until I was eighteen."

"So what are you two doing here now? You don't live in town."

"Riza wanted to see if some of her old baby things were still in the attic. We thought her grandfather had them, but apparently, they never got moved." Roy shrugged. "The baby isn't due until March, but we thought we'd do our searching while Riza is still fairly mobile."

Their conversation drifted to past Halloween pranks and spooky stories. Roy told them the tale of how he and Riza had spent a night in the cemetery and ended up scaring the bully who had dared them to half to death. Winry continued with the story of how her friendship with the Elrics began. That was followed by Riza's account of the first time she went trick or treating; Roy had been the one to take her. She was six, and he was nine.

Ed yawned. Al was half asleep, and Winry was using Ed as her pillow.

"I think you've completed your dare." Riza smiled. The sun was coming up. "If you hurry, you can probably get a few hours sleep before school."

Winry smiled at her. "Thank you for letting us stay."

"No problem. You three take care. If you're ever in Eastern, look us up."

They waved goodbye to the couple and headed back to Winry's house.

The three of them were feeling a little groggy the next morning but no worse for the night. The trio was going over the upcoming history projects when Ling strode up them.

"Well," Ling smirked, "where's my money? There's no way you even went to the old Hawkeye place. You look like you spent the night sleeping in a nice, warm bed."

"Actually," Winry said, "the three of us spent the night there."

Ed smirked; he owed Ling for the gruesome tales of murder in the Hawkeye house. "So, Ling, did you know about the ghost couple who live in the Hawkeye house?"

* * *

Theme: Mythical, Legendary 


	18. Tricksing and Treating

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Tricksing and Treating**

The truth of the matter was Roy didn't really mind being co-opted into taking the kids trick or treating. He had always loved Halloween, and it gave him a decent excuse for dressing up in costume. And it didn't hurt that Riza had also been recruited. Given the choice between spending the evening at Maes and Gracia's Halloween party or take the Elrics, Elysia, and Miss Rockbell out trick or treating with some other children from the neighborhood, he would take the children any day.

Which was the reason why he was currently going through his closet, searching for some sort of costume. Of course, he could always go in uniform, but that would be cheating. That didn't leave him with much in the way of options though. Finally Roy pulled out a dark suit. With a little modification, a cape, and some teeth, he'd make a passable vampire. Maybe Gracia would be willing to give him a hand with the details. Idly, he wondered what Riza would be dressing up as.

Gracia was quite willing to help with his costume, and when All-Hallows-Even arrived, Roy was decked out as a very dapper vampire in black slacks, dress shirt, a scarlet vest, black cravat, and a long cape. A pair of fake fangs from a costume shop completed the look. Though he did probably look a little silly with a very pink little fairy attached to his hip. Elysia made an absolutely adorable sprite with gossamer wings and beribboned circlet.

"Gracia, do have my hat?" Riza appeared from the other room. "Oh! I didn't realize you were here already, sir."

She looked wonderful. Her dress was a dark russet, strapless and sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline. It fell just past her knees with slits on either side up to her thighs, and he knew she was wearing a leg holster for her gun. The outfit was completed with matching opera gloves and heeled knee high boots. A short black cape covered her back and topped everything off. Her hair wasn't down, which was a shame, but Hawkeye made a very fetching witch.

"Gracia just ran out to pick something up. She should be back shortly." He grinned. "Could I tempt you to take this pixie for a moment?"

Elysia was easily transferred to her godmother's arms, leaving Roy free to finish filling the bowls of candy without little fingers snitching pieces.

"Do you know when the Elrics are getting here?"

"They're supposed to arrive at eight, sir. According to Gracia, we're supposed to stay for the start of the party, so the children can light the jack-o-lanterns, and then we're free to go. There are four other children besides Elysia." Riza gravely took the wand Elysia offered her. "Havoc's nieces, Ivy and Rhosyn, as well as the neighbor's children, James and Siri, I believe."

"Those are the twins next door, right?"

Elysia nodded. "Siri's in my class at kindergarten. Can I have a candy apple, Uncle Roy?"

He was saved from having to tell her no by Gracia's return. Riza's hat was produced from Gracia's bag, and the three of them were shooed out of the kitchen to wait for the arriving guests. The werewolf Havoc and necromancer Sheska were the first to arrive. Havoc had brought his nieces, a princess and, surprisingly, a military officer. They were shortly followed by the next door neighbors with their children, James and Siri, who were a wizard and a witch. The third knock revealed a knight, a pirate, and a gypsy.

Roy bit back a smile at Alphonse's costume. Just last year it would have been a real suit of armor. And it looked like things were no longer quite so stalemated between the automail mechanic and her client. It seemed that vacation in Risembool had done everyone some good.

"So when are we going?" Ed grumbled. He seemed to be looking over his shoulder as if he expected Hughes to jump out of the woodwork and bombard him with photographs.

Winry smacked him upside the head. "Be polite."

"We'll be leaving shortly," Riza smiled. "We're just waiting for the lighting of the pumpkins, I believe."

Roy was invited to do the honors with the pumpkins, and once the jack-o-lanterns were ablaze, the group of trick or treaters could move out. Gracia had thoughtfully provided them with a map of the neighborhood and instructions on where they were not to go, and all was good. They started out strong, moving down the street. Once they had completed a circuit of Mayflower St., the group moved on to the neighboring street.

It was significantly more eerie. Instead of the cheerful jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows of Mayflower St., the yards were littered with tombstones, skeletons, ghouls, and skulls. Even the jack-o-lanterns were menacing. Suddenly, children who had insisted they didn't need anyone to hold their hands were groping for someone to hold on to. The first three houses went find, and the children had started to relax again.

In hindsight, they should have known the house was trouble to begin with. The yard was a graveyard complete with skulls and bones strewn amongst the tombs. Ghosts dangled from the trees, and the jack-o-lanterns weren't remotely welcoming. Tentatively, Ivy knocked at the door. It creaked open slowly, mist pouring out of the doorway. A large black figure carrying a butcher knife drifted towards them.

Half the children shrieked. Elysia threw herself behind Roy's legs, and Winry latched on to Edward. He caught sight of Hawkeye's fingers twitching towards her gun. The homeowner seemed to realize that his trick might have backfired and offered copious amounts of chocolate. That appeased the adults some, but it wasn't until they had moved to the next street that the children stopped jumping at every little noise.

Three streets later, Elysia was starting to yawn, and even the older children's energy was beginning to flag. As they finished up the second to last block, Riza turned to him.

"Do you think we should head home? There's only one more street left on Gracia's list, and I think the kids are ready to call it a night."

He nodded. "I think we can safely say that they had a full night. And they have plenty of candy."

The twins ended up getting piggyback rides the rest of the way home from the Elric brothers. Roy himself carried Elysia while Ivy and Rhosyn each had latched onto Riza and Winry who were carrying most of the candy. The sleepy children were returned to their respective guardians, and Roy found himself being drawn into a discussion of practical jokes with Havoc and Hughes. By the time he extricated himself, Winry and Alphonse were asleep on the couch, both using Ed for a pillow, and Hawkeye was gone.

Roy made his farewells and headed off into the night. He plans of his own for Halloween. His destination was an apartment building that was the home of one Riza Hawkeye. He knocked at her door.

Hayate barked excitedly, and Riza opened the door, still in costume though she had lost the hat, boots, and cape.

"Trick or treat?"

A teasing smiled curved her lips. "Treat."

Roy stepped into her apartment, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Theme: Candy 


	19. Kindred Souls

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Kindred Souls**

"I love you, Edward."

"I know, Winry." The young man brushed away her tears. "I love you too. But my father and your grandmother will never let us marry. Face it, Winry, next week you have to marry Ling Yao, and I marry Sheska Loa the week after next."

"It's not fair!" She wailed throwing herself into his arms. "Mr. Yao loves his servant, Ran Fan, and Sheska loves Havoc. That's six lives they're destroying, not just ours."

Ed stroked her hair. He and Winry had known each other since they were children. He didn't know what had caused the rift between his father and Winry's grandmother. He just knew that his mother's death had cemented it. He and Winry had been forced to sneak around to see each other, and the older they got, the harder it got. And then they had turned eighteen, and the arranged marriages had been announced. Winry had raged at her grandmother before locking herself in her room for nearly a week. Ed had kept quiet, at least until his younger brother was safely ensconced at university with a full scholarship, but his feelings on the matter had been obvious.

"I would rather die than have to marry someone else!"

That caught his attention. Ed cupped her face in his hands. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do, Ed. I won't live in a loveless marriage."

He couldn't bare the thought of a world without her in it. "Do you love me enough to give up your family?"

"I love you enough to die for you, Edward."

"Then let's leave. Run away and get married." It was a crazy idea. "We could come back sometime later."

"After our first child is born." Ed looked at her wide-eyed as Winry began to smile. "It's harder to throw someone out when faced with grandbabies."

It was agreed then. They would meet that night in the old chapel by the graveyard on the edge of the city. They parted reluctantly but with great hopes for their plans.

Winry hadn't expected it to be so stormy. She had spent the rest of her afternoon in her room, trying to decide what to take with her, and hadn't noticed the storm clouds brewing. Still, she couldn't turn back now. There was no way she was going to let her grandmother win. She wasn't going to give Ed up.

Shivering, Winry pulled her shawl closer as the wind howled around her. She had turned down the lane to cut through the graveyard to reach the chapel more quickly, but she was thinking now that she must have taken a wrong turn some where. The truth was she was hopelessly lost. Clutching her bag close, she searched for the right path.

A soft pinprick of light appeared in the distance. A young woman wrapped in a cloak and carrying a lantern was coming towards her. Winry could make out blond hair through the gloom and a pair of sad amber eyes.

"Are you lost, Miss?"

"Yes. I'm trying to get to Rosslyn Chapel, near the old cemetery."

The trees creaked in the wind. The other girl's eye's flashed with something. "I'll take you someplace safe. The storm is getting worse."

The girl took her by the hand, leading her off the path and into the trees. They wound in and out of the trees, across uneven ground. The mist obscured everything, and Winry stumbled over a rock. The young woman steadied her.

"It's not that much farther."

Suddenly, they broke into the open. Winry found herself standing by a little cottage just across the lane from the far side of the cemetery.

The young woman smiled at her. "You're safe here. Don't worry. He'll be here."

She turned, disappearing into the night.

Winry stood alone next to a stone pillar shivering.

Ed hadn't meant to get lost. However, he also hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings, his mind busy coming up with plans for the future. He would need to find a job, a place for them to stay.

"Lost?"

He whirled around to find a dark haired young man with a lantern, leaning against a tree.

"Who's so lost that he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag?"

The man held up his hands. "I just thought you'd want to get to safety before people start looking for you."

"They're looking for us?"

The other man nodded. "Yes. I can get you to safety though."

Ed frowned; he didn't really have a choice. "Okay."

"Good. Follow me."

The dark haired man led him through the woods, off the path but clearly in the direction of the cemetery. Ed followed doing his best to keep up. It was clear this man knew the woods much better than he did. It had started to rain, and Ed could barely see anything outside the glow cast by the lantern.

Finally, they stopped near the edge of the trees. Ed could see the glow of cottage windows just past them.

"There. She's waiting."

Ed turned to give the man his grudging thanks, but nothing was there except the trees.

"Edward!"

As soon as he had left the trees, Ed found himself hit by a living projectile. He held her tight in his arms.

"If you two are done," a soft voice came from behind, "we should go inside before anyone comes looking for you."

A matronly, grey haired woman stood in front of the cottage. She smiled at the pair of them.

"Come along."

She sat them down in front of her fire with mugs of warm cider.

"I'm Elysia. You two can stay here tonight. My son will be by in the morning, and he'll help you get out of the city."

Winry looked up. "How did you know?"

Elysia laughed. "You wouldn't be the first couple I've helped run away together."

"But I wouldn't even be here if that girl hadn't found me." Winry frowned. "We were supposed to meet at the chapel."

Ed nodded. "The only reason I ended up here instead of the chapel was some idiot showed up and brought me here."

Nodding, Elysia smiled. "Roy and Riza. The chapel is a well known spot for runaway couples to meet. They try to get to them before the searchers can."

"Do you think we go thank them before we go?" Winry asked.

"They died over seventy years ago," Elysia informed gently.

"What?"

"That's impossible."

The old woman just shrugged. "The stone in the front yard is their marker. They've been bringing me runaway couple for the last twenty years."

"I don't understand." Edward frowned. "Why?"

"My father was Roy's best friend," Elysia began. "Roy Mustang was a talented young alchemist. He was apprenticed to Professor Hawkeye. Hawkeye had a daughter, three years younger than Roy, Riza. The student and the daughter fell in love. However, Roy's mother was from Xing. His father was Amestrian. He was good enough to study with Hawkeye but not good enough for his daughter. Instead, he had arranged a marriage for Riza with King Bradley."

"But Bradley was a monster. He was arrested for human experimentation," Ed interrupted. "How could the man do that to his daughter?"

"They didn't know yet. But of course, Riza was as stubborn as her father. She and Roy planned to run away and get married. They were to meet at Rosslyn Chapel. They were caught. Roy was accused of kidnapping and attempted rape and thrown in jail. He was found dead the next morning. They ruled it a suicide. My father always believed it was murder. Riza's marriage with Bradley was to go ahead. She killed herself after she heard, a single shot to her head." Elysia sighed. "Because they were both suicides, the church wouldn't bury them in the cemetery. My father bought the land here, it used to be owned by the church, and buried them here. I inherited it after my parents' death."

There were tears in Winry's eyes. "And the ghosts were here?"

"The first time I saw them was a year after I had moved in. They've been bringing young couples to me ever since." Elysia rose to her feet. "You two had better get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. I'll show you to your room."

Outside the window, a blond haired woman stood by the memorial marker, clearly waiting for someone. A dark haired man came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"All safe and sound?"

She leaned into him. "Elysia will take care of them."

"I know."

"They're going to be happy."

"I know." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you."

"I know." She sighed. "We should go."

Winry turned back to the window, thinking she had seen a lantern, but there was only mist outside.

* * *

Theme: In the Dead of the Night 


	20. Count on My Love

I do not own FMA or its characters. Spoilers for Hawkeye and Mustang's past. This is set about a hundred years after the events in the manga.

* * *

**Count on My Love**

Their third meeting was the charm. Or perhaps the spark would be a better description. The tinder had already been laid, but it did not really catch fire until then.

Roy Mustang first met Riza Hawkeye when he was nine. He had come to study alchemy with Professor Hawkeye. Despite the invitations for him to attend the Armstrong Alchemy Academy, his mother had sent him to Professor Hawkeye because she claimed he was up to the challenge. And it was one. Professor Hawkeye was a hard teacher, but his research as interesting, and there was Riza, his six year old daughter. Riza was a mystery. Quiet and reserved, she was practically a ghost, but every once in a while, Roy got a glimpse of the real Riza.

He spent the next nine years living with the Hawkeye's, and by the time he left, there was no one who knew him as well as she did. She had wished him well when he left despite her father's disapproval of his future plans and refusal to finish teaching him the secrets of fire alchemy. They had parted as friends, though there had been a mutual attraction between them.

Roy had gone on to apply to the Amestrian Fire Service. He wanted to serve his country, and while he might not be able to manipulate fire with his alchemy, there was still much he could do. Roy enjoyed his work, but he knew he could be more of a help if he just knew the secrets of flame alchemy. And so he decided if he could convince his teacher to impart those secrets to him one last time.

His former teacher was dying. It was clear from the moment he reentered the Hawkeye residence. All it took was one look at Riza's eyes, and he knew. He spent the next few days helping Riza out around the house and carefully broaching the subject of flame alchemy with his teacher. It was in vain though. His teacher died before telling him anything other than to look out for Riza.

Hopes seemingly dashed, Roy turned his energies to helping Riza arrange the funeral and making sure she had everything she needed. She had no relatives that she knew of, but Roy had his suspicions that her mother's father might be the fire chief at the East City Fire House. It was after the funeral that Riza shyly approached him, offering him her father's research. When she revealed it to be tattooed upon her back, Roy found himself horrified, wondering how his teacher could do this to his daughter.

He left her once again, after making sure she had found her grandfather, and went on to pass the alchemy exams. It wasn't long before he acquired the nickname the Flame Alchemist and was soon a lieutenant of a fire crew at East City. And that was when he met Riza the third time.

Roy was looking into an arson case at Eastern University with Maes Hughes, the local arson investigator and Roy's best friend. He had literally walked right into a young woman with her arms full of art supplies.

"I'm so sorry, miss." He bent down to help her gather her things. "I wasn't paying attention."

"That's all right. I should have been watching where I was going." A pair of mahogany eyes met his. "Roy?"

"Riza? What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here. What are you doing here? The last I heard you had passed the alchemy exams and were moving up the ranks in the Fire Service."

He grinned. "I am. I'm a lieutenant at the local fire station. Maes and I are just here to look into a possible arson."

"I should thank you for making sure I found Grandfather." She seemed almost shy. "He's been wonderful."

"I'm glad." He bit his lip. "Do you have some free time? I'd love the chance to catch up with you."

Riza eyed him suspiciously. "You're not trying to shirk paperwork, are you? I remember a little boy who was very fond of dodging his school work."

Roy laughed. "Don't you trust me? Maes just wanted me here to make sure it wasn't another alchemist. I promise I'm all caught up on my paperwork."

"In that case, I don't have a class until three."

They ended up at the campus coffee shop, snagging a table in the back. Riza had definitely changed since he last saw her. Of course, she had been just seventeen at the time. In the place of the timid teenager he'd stood with at the internment, there was a vibrant young woman. She still wore conservative clothing that hid any trace of the array, but that was simply common sense. It wasn't something that he would want to advertise having either.

"So you're an art major? I would have pegged you for either history or literature."

She blushed. "I'm a history minor. I was originally going to major in literature, but I took an art class my first term and got hooked."

"Are you happy, Riza?" He stroked the back of her hand. "I meant to keep in touch, but we both know I'm a lousy letter writer."

Riza smiled, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder. "I'm happy, Roy. I'm enjoying school, and Grandfather has been nothing but kind to me."

"Good." Roy twined his fingers around hers. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Roy." She sighed as she glanced at her watch. "I have class. Do you have a card or something?"

He handed her his card which she promptly flipped over. Producing a pen, Riza sketched something across the back and handed it back to him.

"Call me sometime please. I'd love to get together again." She kissed his cheek and was gone.

Roy made his way back to the building where he had left Maes. Knowing his best friend as he did, Maes was probably still there exploring every little detail. Roy had ruled out alchemy, but it still could be arson.

"So where have you been?" Maes didn't bother to look up from the burn pattern he was photographing. "I thought you were getting us some coffee."

"I ran into my teacher's daughter. I haven't seen her in years."

"Riza, right? The one who helped you with figuring out your flame alchemy."

He nodded. "It sounds like she's doing well. She gave me her number."

Maes shot him a sharp look. "Is this the reason why your girlfriends never seem to last more than a two dates?"

Roy shrugged. "We've never been anything more than friends."

"Doesn't mean you can't ever be something more. Are you going to call her?"

"Maybe." Roy had a feeling he was blushing.

"Give her a ring, and you two can double date with Gracia and me. I'd love to meet this girl."

"I'll think about it."

"Good. Now hand me an evidence bag. I think I found something."

Roy did end up calling her, though he didn't invite her on double date. Not for their first date at least, maybe if things went well he would arrange that for their next date. Instead, he offered to cook her dinner some evening. Riza accepted, and Roy found himself really nervous about a date for the first time in years. This was Riza, and that was part of the problem.

The relationship between the two of them had always been slightly odd. They had been close since he had first arrived at the Hawkeye residence to begin his training. At the time he hadn't realized it, but he had been the one person she interacted with on a regular basis. Even when she had attended school in the town, her interactions were limited to what was required of her by the teacher. It wasn't quite a sibling bond. As they grew older, it was clear there was an attraction between them on both sides. He had never dared approach her though. Her father had made it very clear that Riza was off limits.

There had been some pushing of that boundary. He had taught her to dance, an experience that had led to Riza's first kiss. But for the most part, they had simply remained, well, something more than friends and less than a couple. This might change that.

That was probably the reason why he had spent the last few hours slaving in the kitchen. Roy wanted the meal to be perfect. Then at least he would know one thing wouldn't go wrong. He didn't normally put this much effort into dates, but once again, this was Riza.

She arrived promptly at seven, bringing with her a bottle of white wine. He blinked at her in surprise.

"How did you know? This is perfect for dinner. We're having cheese fondue."

She smiled. "That sounds lovely. Is there anything I can do to help?"

He shook his head. "I think everything's set. We should be ready to eat in about fifteen minutes. Make yourself at home, and I'll pour you a glass of wine."

Roy watched her explore the living room from the kitchen. Her fingers drifted over the spines of the books on his shelves before moving on to investigate the collection of photographs on the fireplace mantel. They were mostly of his family but his friends and co-workers were represented too, and there were at least two of Riza, one from his first year with the Hawkeyes and one from her last birthday before he left.

"I didn't have anything more current than that one." He handed her the glass of wine, coming up behind her. "Here you go."

She lifted her glass in salute before taking a sip. "Here's to us then."

Dinner was spent trading his stories of the mildly insane crew he worked with for her tales of college life. He had forgotten just how much fun it was to spend time with her. They had grown up together alone in a house except for her father, who wasn't quite what one would call a scintillating conversationalist, so it had been the two of them to entertain each other. Storytelling had turned into an art form for them.

With dinner complete, the pair moved to the living room, curling up in front of the fireplace with dessert. Riza rest her head against his shoulder. "I missed this."

Roy found himself playing with her hair.

"I've been having nightmares." Riza's voice was soft. "About a war in the dessert. You're there a lot of the time."

His hand stilled, fingers still tangled in her hair. "There's sand and blood everywhere, and even when you wake up, it feels real. I've had them too, Riza. I think it's Ishbal."

"That was almost a hundred years ago now," she whispered.

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "They're just dreams, Riza. We're not going to go to war again. Not after everything that happened last time."

"You mean after they executed the last Mustang and Hawkeye. The ones from the dreams."

He cuddled her close. "Yeah. I forgot you know your history."

"I loved you then. I mean, she loved him." Riza's fingers slipped between his own. "It's easy to get her feelings and mine mixed up. Her Mustang is so much like you."

The firelight played over her profile. Roy gently turned her head so he could see her eyes. "Riza?"

She smiled softly. "I love you. I have for years."

He kissed her. It was the only thing he could do. Roy was fairly certain that he had lost the power of speech. Her mouth was soft and warm under his, and it felt like he was drinking fire. He pulled away to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too, Riza."

It wasn't a fire out in the desert that they sat in front of, and they weren't fighting a ridiculous excuse of a war, but some things remained the same. Roy didn't know why they'd been dreaming of the original Hawkeye and Mustang and the Ishbal war. He didn't really care either. Here and now was what mattered. His alchemy was helping the people of Amestris, not being used to massacre a people, and Riza's eyes weren't those of one who has seen too much too young.

With Riza snuggled in his arms, Roy couldn't help but feel that something had been waiting for this. That there was an unspoken sense of apology and satisfaction as if something had been waiting for them to be set right this time around. Or it could just be that his own contentment with life was spilling over and coloring his perception of everything else. It didn't really matter though. He had Riza and that was enough.

* * *

Theme: Life After Death


	21. A Quiet Evening

I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the end of the manga.

* * *

**A Quiet Evening**

Riza set her basket down on the porch and shut her umbrella. It had been drizzling all day, but that didn't keep the market from being in full swing. She had only needed a few things, but she had run into a number of people who had wanted to chat and had been out longer than she had planned.

Hayate dashed out to greet her as she opened the door. Riza shooed him back inside, bringing the groceries with her. Roy was sound asleep on the couch. With a smile, Riza covered him with a blanket before heading into the kitchen. He was still adjusting to life as civilian. They both were.

It had been two months since they'd settled in the little town of Amrea in Creta. Roy now worked for the town newspaper, and Riza had taken a job as an assistant at the local florist. Only a handful of people knew where they were; most of the world believed them to be dead. The military had announced their executions shortly after the change of government in Amestris. Instead, they had been bundled onto a train out of the country by their friends and supporters.

Riza hummed to herself as she put dinner together. Despite the change in lifestyle, she was happy. Amestris was now on its way to creating a government run by its people, and she had a quiet life with the man she loved. There wasn't really anything more she could ask for. With the stew simmering on the stove, Riza moved around the house lighting the lamps. The twilight had deepened the grey gloom of the rain, and shadows had filled the house.

Setting the oil lamp on the end table, Riza leaned over her sleeping husband. She gently pressed a kiss to his lips. A hand slid into her hair, holding her in place. Riza finally pulled away to meet a pair of sleepy black eyes.

"Hey."

She smiled. "Dinner will be ready soon."

Roy drew her down for another kiss. "Good."

Nuzzling her nose against his, Riza sighed. This was not the life she had expected when she followed her father's student into the military all those years ago, but it was one she was perfectly content with. She had a safe home, a loyal dog, and a loving husband. What more could she ask for?

* * *

Theme: So put a candle in the window and a kiss upon his lips, as the dish outside the window fills with rain.


	22. Heroes

I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the end of the manga.

* * *

**Heroes**

Elysia adjusted her jacket and nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. She would be up as soon as the current speaker was finished. The sixteen year old knew she looked her best; her mother had seen to that. The sage green silk had been a gift from Ling Yao, the new emperor of Xing. The cream blouse completed the outfit, and she wore her wire rimmed reading glasses and a necklace that had once belonged to her Aunt Riza. Elysia resisted the urge to fiddle with the delicate gold chain. It had been an honor to be chosen to speak at this citywide event, and Elysia knew that what she said would not be well received by most of the audience.

There were also people who would understand. She had invited everyone who she could think of to come to the event. From her uncle's old team to Ed and Winry, she had sent them all carefully worded notes of invitation. They were all here.

"Next we have Miss Elysia Hughes, a sophomore at Central High School, giving her speech on her heroes."

She stepped up to the podium, setting her notes down in front of her. She didn't need them. Elysia had memorized her speech weeks ago. With a smile, she began. "I know the first thing you're wondering is if I'm related to Brigadier General Hughes. I'm his daughter. Most of you are expecting this to be about my dad or maybe even my mom. It's not. They're both heroes in the own ways, but you know about that. My father discovered the secret of the homunculi and was killed for it. My mother raised me on her own. And as much as I admire, love, and respect them, they are not my greatest heroes."

Elysia took a deep breath. "My godparents are. For those of you who don't know, my godparents were Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye."

Ripples of sound spread through the crowd. They knew those names, and they didn't like them.

"And now you're wondering how those two could possibly be my heroes. Ignore what you've been told about the Butchers of Ishval, the traitors to Amestris. It's mostly inaccurate. Let's start with the beginning, with a young man who joined the military to help his country and a young woman who believed in his dreams. Roy Mustang was eighteen when he joined the military. He went through basic with Amestrians and Ishbalans alike. And then the girl's father died."

Not many people knew this part of the story, and Elysia had caught their attention with that. Hopefully, they would keep listening to her.

"Riza Hawkeye was the daughter of Mustang's alchemy teacher. They met when he was nine, and she was six. They spent years living in the same house, growing up together. With the death of her father, Riza had nothing left. Her father was an orphan, and her mother had been estranged from her family since before Riza's birth. All she had was Mustang. And when he spoke of his dreams to help protect the country, she gave him the research her father had left with her. He returned to the military and became the Flame Alchemist. She decided to follow him and enlisted."

Taking a deep breath, Elysia continued, "And then Ishbal. That was where they met again. Riza was still a cadet, but her skill with a gun had her assigned to the sniper corps while Roy came with the other State Alchemists. By the time they ran into each other, both had lost just about any hope they had. I don't know what it was that gave Roy the idea to change things by working his way to the top of military command. But he did, and Riza swore to support him and to kill him if he ever became the monster he was seeking to destroy."

Well, that came as surprise for some. Good. She wanted people off balance. The less they could take for granted about her godparents the better.

"Their plan had one drawback unfortunately. If Riza was to serve as Roy's subordinate, there could be no hint of impropriety between them. She was more vital to him as an aide than as a lover. For the future of their country, their own feeling and future had to be put on hold." Elysia grinned. "I know most of you are thinking 'How faithful could that man be? He was a known womanizer.' That's because most of you don't realize that most of the women he "dated" were part of his informant system. And as his goddaughter, I was privy to the private relationship of Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. They were probably one of the most amazing couples I knew. Their entire relationship comprised of stolen moments and clandestine meetings."

Meeting the eyes of those who had known her godparents, Elysia continued, "That's part of why they are my heroes. Not because they worked so hard to expose the truth of what was going on in our government, though that is an accomplishment, but because they did it in spite of everything they would be giving up. My godparents knew they most likely wouldn't survive the changes they were trying to make in the government. They knew that there was very little chance that they would ever be able to marry or start a family."

Elysia's gaze swept across the crowd. She hoped it was piercing. She wanted these people to understand.

"They did it anyway. They didn't run away. They could have. They could have left the country and started over." She bit her lip; she wasn't going to cry. "They didn't. Mustang and Hawkeye stayed and fought for their country. They died for their country. Actually, if you want to be accurate, their country killed them. I don't blame our government for what they did to my godparents, but we owe them more than just the role of villains. I will not deny that Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye did horrible things during the war. I will not deny that some of what they did can be considered treason. But I also cannot deny the fact that if it weren't for them, we would be living in a military dictatorship instead of the democracy we've become so proud of. My godparents are heroes, and I refuse to deny that."

She gathered her notes and stepped down from the podium. There was scattered applause from the audience, the loudest coming from the section populated by her family and friends. The program coordinator was heading towards her, face red with anger.

"Miss Hughes, how dare you disrupt this event with such lies?"

She squared her shoulders. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

One of the other presenters, a university student, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Miss Hughes did a fine job. You never told us we couldn't bring up controversial subjects."

He escorted her back to her seat. Though truthfully, she didn't pay that much attention to the rest of the presentations. Her mother was waiting when it finally ended.

"The boys want to take you out to lunch. Ed and Winry agreed to come and Al is bringing his fiancée."

Elysia grinned. Winry was four months pregnant with her second child. Edwin Roy Elric, her first, was almost three.

"That sounds great. We haven't all gotten together in ages."

"Miss Hughes?" It was the university student from earlier. "Hi. I'm Michael Ashton. I wanted to tell you I really appreciated your speech."

"Thank you."

He bit his lip. "Um, I was wondering if I could buy you a cup of coffee, and you could tell me some more about Hawkeye and Mustang."

She traded a look with her mother then grinned impishly.

"Why don't you come to lunch with us? There'll be plenty of stories."

"Are you sure, Miss Hughes?"

She linked arms with him. She had a feeling that anyone who had known her father would recognize the twinkle in her eye. "It's Elysia. And yes."

They headed out street and the others waiting for them. Elysia caught sight of a dark haired boy bandaging a little blond girl's knee then kissing her forehead. For a second she thought she recognized the pair.

"Elysia?"

She turned back to Michael. He was nervously looking at the assembled group.

"Don't worry, we don't bite."

* * *

Theme: Heroes


	23. Blood and Thorns

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is slightly AU and set in the manga.**  
**

* * *

**Blood and Thorns**

The first rose showed up in her mailbox at work. On top of the stacks of paperwork, lay one black rose with a note attached to a dark red ribbon. The note read: _Women should know their place._

Riza sighed, pocketed the note, and tossed the rose in the nearest trash can. She'd check with the other women stationed here to see if they had all gotten one. Mostly likely once again some idiot had decided to express their opinion of women in the military. She scooped up the paperwork and headed for the colonel's office, thinking nothing more of it.

She was a bit concerned when she checked around and found she was the only one who had gotten a note. It meant she had been noticed which vaguely bothered her. It made her job easier when she went unnoticed. The colonel was safer when people overlooked her because they forgot she was watching over him. Still, she had been a bit more in the spotlight than usual lately, and there was always the chance that it had been sent by one of the colonel's enemies as an attempt to weaken his support. The rose and the note were filed away in the back of her mind as she went about her duties. However, nothing happened the rest of the week in relation to those, so she dismissed it as a harmless prank. There were more important things to put her energy into than worrying about it, getting the colonel to do his paperwork for instance.

The second rose showed up a week later on her desk, and the colonel saw it before she had a chance to dispose of it. Thankfully, he did not see the note which had read: _You should learn your place._ The note would have just made him grumpier. He didn't like it when men took a romantic interest in her. He liked it even less when someone was threatening her, or at least what he considered threatening her. She didn't know if it was because they had put their own relationship on hold and he didn't like that other people could court her when he couldn't or if it was a holdover from Ishbal when she had been the only woman in their unit. Either way, it could be frustrating. Yes, she understood the sentiment, but that didn't make it easier to live with the result when the colonel got overprotective.

Anyway, there was too much going on these days for her to really be concerned about it. Between Edward's antics and Scar on the loose, she had enough to worry about. The third rose caused real concern, however. It had been stuck in the vents of her locker in the women's locker room. The note had read: _Someone needs to teach you your place._ That wasn't what bothered her though. It was the fact that the rose and note had showed up in the locker room. There weren't that many women stationed here, but they all kept a pretty close watch on who hung around the locker room. They had enough problems without peeping toms. No one had seen the note and rose delivered.

A fourth note and rose were delivered to her home, and that had her seriously annoyed. Riza did not like it when work related things followed her home. Sometimes it was inevitable, but for the most part, her home was her sanctuary. It was the one place where she could simply be Riza. The note had been more threatening as well. It had read: _You'll be taught your place._

She ignored it for the most part. It wasn't that she didn't take such threats seriously. However, threats to the colonel took top priority, and honestly, she currently didn't have the energy to deal with this. Besides, really, what could she do? Even if she reported it and a threat against a minor lieutenant like herself was deemed worth investigation, Scar was the bigger threat right now, and that's where the energy would and should be focused.

The fifth rose was in her mail box again. However, it wasn't just a rose and a note this time. There was also a photo, a photo of her. It was of her entering the building. She wasn't sure how old it. The note read: _You don't belong there._

It was enough to put her a little more on edge throughout the day. She didn't like how this was progressing, but she knew if she mentioned it to the colonel he'd do something stupid, trying to protect her, like taking her off duty until they found out who was sending the roses. It wasn't practical, and it would put him in more danger. It was bad enough when she was there to remind him he was useless in the rain; if she wasn't there, she was half afraid he'd end up dead.

When the next rose showed up on her desk again, she barely had time to stuff the photo and note that came with it a drawer before the colonel walked in.

"So, who's the special guy?"

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"That's the second rose, at least, that I know of."

"I don't know who's sending them, sir."

"A secret admirer, huh?"

That was the end of the conversation, but the colonel was less than happy the rest of the day. She didn't have a chance to look at the photo and note until she'd gone home for the evening. The photo was of her at work again. This time of her at her desk, taken through the office window. The note read: _You won't be sitting there much longer._

Riza didn't like where this was going. With a sigh, she dug out the other notes and began putting them in envelopes, each marked with the date the note had been received. If this went on one more week, she would report it and turn in everything. It would be a hassle, but this was beginning to get out of hand.

She was beginning to think the person was giving up when she received the seventh rose. It was stuck in her locker again, and once again, no one had seen who had put it there. The photo was of her at the shooting range. The note read: _Your little toys won't protect you._ They were both promptly put in an envelope and added to the folder that contained the rest of the threats. She'd go to the colonel first thing in the morning. He was going to be a pain about it, but that couldn't be helped.

This didn't put her in the best of moods for the rest of the day. Thankfully, it was a rather quiet day at the office and over with rather quickly. She returned home grateful that work was over but not looking forward to the next morning. The colonel was going to hit the roof. She changed into her pajamas, intent on spending the rest of her evening with a book and her dog. Riza was half way through the book when there was a knock on the door. She pulled on her robe with a sigh. It was probably old Mrs. Gunnerson wanting to borrow something for the fifth time this month and to set Riza up with her grandson.

She opened the door to find nothing but a rose, a note, and a photo on her doorstep. She brought them inside then locked the door before looking at them. The photo has been taken through her apartment window, probably less than an hour ago. The note read: _You'll beg for it when I'm done with you._ What "it" was was not specified in the note.

She drew her curtains and then began to think over her options. She could stay here, barricaded in her apartment all night. The drawbacks to that were that she wouldn't get any sleep, she had no backup, and she wasn't sure could make the apartment impenetrable. On the other hand if she left, she could be ambushed on her way to someplace else, she might put whomever she went to in danger, and it would mean she was running away.

Thunder rumbled outside, and Hayate yelped in surprise. That decided her. She walked into her bedroom, pulling off her robe to put on her shoulder holsters. She put the robe back on with one of her other guns now in the pocket. A pair of old sneakers were taken from the back of her closet, and she grabbed the folder of threats on her way out of the room. Riza scooped of Hayate on her way out the door. There was no way she would leave him here without her right now.

She locked the apartment and headed for the nearest bar where she called a taxi. Then she gave the driver directions for a building that was three blocks away from the colonel's apartment. She got out there, and then walked to the colonel's apartment building, taking the most confusing route she could think of. If someone was following her, hopefully she had lost them buy now.

So now she was standing in front of the colonel's door, trying to figure out why she was hesitating to knock. This was simply ridiculous. She'd come all the way over here at this hour, and she wasn't going to chicken out now. Before she could stop herself, Riza raised her hand and sharply rapped on the door.

It took a more than a few moments for the colonel to open the door, and when he did, it took him a minute to process that she was standing there.

"Hawkeye?" He rubbed his eyes as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "What are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." His eyes flicked to Hayate tucked under her arm. "You both can."

She waited until they were all in the apartment and the door had been locked before setting Hayate down.

"Have a seat, Hawkeye. What's going on?"

Riza hesitated a moment then held out the folder. "I started getting these almost a month ago. They've been increasing in frequency lately. Today I got one at work, and then I got another one almost an hour ago."

He read over the threats, his facing becoming an expressionless mask. "Why didn't you bring this to me earlier?"

She sighed; she had known this was coming, but she still didn't want to face it. "It wasn't until recently that I considered it a legitimate threat. Besides, investigating threats against a minor lieutenant is not a priority at this time."

His eyes narrowed, and his tone was fierce. "Be that as it may, I do not accept threats against my people lightly. Can you think of any specific event that could have triggered this?"

She shook her head. "The only thing I can think is that I may have been more visible than usual lately."

He frowned then sighed. "I'll put some water on for coffee. We'll probably need it before the evening's over."

They spent the rest of the evening going over the threats, looking for patterns. She must have dozed off at some point for she woke the next morning in the colonel's bed, the morning light shining in her face. Hayate was curled up next to her. She stretched a little and tried to resist the urge to just turn over and go back to sleep. Her movement woke Hayate who decided that she needed to get up and began licking her cheek. There was a soft knock at the door.

"Hawkeye? Are you up?"

"Just a minute, sir. Hayate, stop that!" She struggled out of the covers, unceremoniously dumping the puppy on the floor. She padded to the door, running a hand through her hair. Hopefully, she didn't look too disheveled. "Yes, sir?"

She opened the door to be met with the smell of fresh coffee. The colonel handed her a mug. "Here. Drink that, and then we'll run over to your place so you can change for work."

She was mildly surprised to find him dressed and ready for work. The colonel was not typically a morning person. Things were quiet during their walk to her apartment. It really wasn't that far; she'd just been cautious in coming last night. Colonel Mustang stopped in front of her apartment.

"Did you lock your door last night, Hawkeye?"

"Of course, sir."

"Then we have a problem."

She peered around his shoulder to she the door a jar and was suddenly glad they'd left Hayate back at the colonel's. She pushed the colonel aside. "I'm going in. I'll call you if the room is secure."

The colonel glared at her. "Are you crazy? This guy is after you, not me. I'm going in first."

"Just because I'm being threatened doesn't mean your safety isn't the first priority. I'm going in first, and you will come in when I say so, not before," she shot back.

They stood there glaring at each for several moments. Finally, he sighed. "How about we go in together?"

She also sighed but nodded. She eased the door open and found herself very happy with her decision to go to the colonel's apartment. Her own had been ransacked. They checked the other rooms just to make sure, but her stalker was long gone. Riza was also getting well and truly angry. It was one thing for someone to send her threatening notes; given her job, that was almost inevitable, and she could deal with it. But for someone to tear apart her home, her sanctuary, was more than enough to earn her anger.

The colonel's lips had compressed to a thin line. "Right, you're not staying here until after we've caught this guy. Get together whatever you'll need for now."

She would have been upset by the fact that the colonel was making decisions for her, except she knew him well enough to know that he was scared and he was going to be unreasonable about her for the next few days. And to tell the truth, the only reason she wasn't feeling afraid right now was because she was currently furious. Fear would come later when she had time to think about what could have happened. Uniforms, another pair of pajamas, Hayate's things, and her spare ammunition were quickly tossed in a bag. The box of her keepsakes, including most of her jewelry, had not been touched probably because it was buried beneath a pile of shoes in her closet. She didn't think she'd need anything from it, but if the stalker came back, she would prefer knowing this at least was safe.

She took the time to change into her uniform. She came out of the bathroom to find Colonel Mustang on the phone with Havoc. He hung up the phone then turned to her. "Havoc will be here to pick us up shortly. Ready to go?"

Hawkeye nodded. As they made their way to the building's entrance, he added, "I'll call a locksmith later and have him replace the locks for you."

It wasn't lost on her that the entire time the colonel kept a hand at the small of her back. She didn't comment on it, but it was rather comforting. And right now, she'd take what comfort she could get. The ride to work was silent. She was grateful for that. She was not looking forward to letting the rest of the office know about this. Well, it wasn't so much her co-workers as it was the rest of Eastern. The military was known for its gossip, and she had worked hard to keep herself out of it for the most part. Her reputation made most people see her as soldier first then a woman. That was helpful to her, and she didn't want to see it jeopardized.

It didn't help that there was another rose in her mailbox. The colonel didn't even let her touch it. She peered over his shoulder to read the note which read: _You don't have much longer._

There was a picture with it as well, also of her in her apartment the night before. The colonel added them to the file. He didn't say anything, but Riza could practically feel the tension he was radiating. It was not going to be an easy or a pleasant day.

She was right. Of course, part of that had to do with the fact that the colonel would not let her out of his sight. This was why she hadn't wanted to tell him in the first place; he was overprotective, and it showed. She couldn't afford to be his weakness, and when he acted like this, people were much more likely to realize she might be something more to him than just a subordinate.

The others in the office didn't really seem sure about how to handle the situation. She wasn't surprised. The last time the colonel had acted like this had been in Ishbal. It had mildly annoyed her then, but she had also been grateful. The front had not been a comfortable place to be when she was the only woman in the group, and it had taken time for the other soldiers to stop seeing her as a woman first. And there were some people who had never stopped seeing her as a woman. But this wasn't Ishbal, and her reputation kept her safe for the most part. She was well aware of the fact that one of the reasons that she didn't get harassed at work was the reactions of her co-workers. She had more than once overheard Havoc explaining to someone just why you didn't say things like that about Lt. Hawkeye. Well, explaining would be a gentle way of putting it. However, for the most part, she was seen as the strong one in the group.

It was a tense, uncomfortable day. She was seriously beginning to consider hiding in the bathroom just to get a break. Of course, knowing the colonel, he'd probably send someone in after her. Either that or come in after her himself. He was in that kind of mood today. Finally, she decided that she had to do something about this or she would go insane. The colonel wasn't doing either of them any good acting like this, and frankly, he was being a pain in the ass.

She shut the office door behind her when she brought the next set of paperwork into the office.

"I need your signature on these, sir, before five o'clock." She paused a moment. "You're not doing either of us any good by treating me like I'm made of glass. Your enemies don't need a weakness to exploit."

He practically stalked over to her. "You are _not_ a weakness. And I am not about to let someone hurt you when I can stop them."

She shook her head. "I am a weakness if my being in danger makes you act like this. With your goals you can't afford--"

He kissed her, cutting off the rest of the sentence. His arms came up around her, holding her in place. It was a fierce kiss, demanding as if he expected her to disappear at any moment. Of their own volition, her arms came up around his neck. When he finally released her mouth, she was panting for breath. He leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her trapped in his arms.

"We can't do this. Not now."

"I know."

He continued to hold her though. She could understand his fear of being helpless again. He felt he should have been able to save Hughes. And Hughes had been the only one he had known longer than her. Add to that the fact his feelings for her weren't simply those of a superior for a subordinate and the whole mess became complicated.

His arms finally loosened, and Riza slipped out of them. Mustang sighed but let her go. She spent a moment straightening her uniform and headed for the door.

"Hawkeye, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

She turned slightly. "I know."

The rest of the day was spent in a nearly normal fashion. By the time work was over, they were back to some semblance of normal. Havoc drove the two of them back to the colonel's apartment. There was some awkwardness the first few minutes alone in the apartment, but Hayate broken the tension by deciding to attack Roy's overcoat. Riza quickly swung the discarded piece of clothing out of the dog's reach, hanging on the coat rack. Roy just laughed.

"Feel free to make yourself at home, Hawkeye. I'm going to get started on dinner."

"Yes, sir."

"Roy," he corrected. "Or at least Mustang. We're not at work, and "sir" is going to get old quickly."

She smiled and disappeared into the bathroom. Riza knew she needed to get some sort of mental distance. Otherwise, it would be all too easy for her to slip into happy domesticity with the colonel, and neither of them could afford that. It would be all too easy for the two of them to simply fall into a physical relationship with one another while they were sharing the same space outside of the office. This was not permanent, and she couldn't afford to relax the barriers around her heart. Not yet at least, maybe in another few years.

Riza found Mustang busily working in the kitchen and took it upon herself to set the table. By the time she had finished, Mustang was putting the final touches on the curry his was making.

"This should be done in another few minutes, Hawkeye. Does Hayate need anything special or can I just give him the scraps from dinner?"

"You can give him the scraps. You'll spoil him anyway."

He shrugged. "I like dogs."

Dinner was silent. Work was about the only thing Riza felt they could talk about safely, and she for one needed a break from work, if only for a few hours. Apparently, Roy felt the same way. It wasn't really an awkward silence after all, just a familiar one. They had spent years in silence.

The clean up too was dealt with in silence. It was only when the last of the dishes were dried and put away that the silence became awkward. Mustang shooed her out of the kitchen.

"Go sit down and relax. You've definitely done enough for the day. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you."

She started browsing his bookshelves for lack of anything else to do. Mustang did have an impressive collection. There was everything from poetry to science textbooks. There were even, she was amused to see, romance novels. She also came across a very familiar title, an old favorite from her childhood. Settling on the couch with Roy's copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, Riza smiled. It had always been one of her favorite books. She remembered once trying to explain the story to Roy and finally giving up and forcing him to just read the book. In fact, her exact words had been: "Just read the damn book. You can tell me it's stupid then."

He hadn't though. Once he had read the book, he had actually found he liked it. In fact, he had gotten her a copy for her birthday that year. It was a first edition, but what had really touched her was the inscription he had written on the inside cover. It had read: _Happy Birthday, Riza! You seemed so fond of this book, I decided that you need a copy of your very own. I hope you enjoy your gift. Love, Roy._

It was a simple note, but it was probably the first time that someone had used the word love in conjunction with her since her mother's death. She would never be sure, but it was probably the start of her intense loyalty to Roy Mustang. She knew that it had definitely cemented the friendship between the two of them.

"Riza?"

She started and found Roy standing in front of her, holding out a cup of tea. "Three sugars and lemon with no milk, right?"

"You remembered."

"How could I forget? I don't know how many nights we spent in your father's kitchen waiting out thunderstorms." He sat down in the armchair across from her. "I almost miss that."

He was watching her with an odd expression. Riza set the book down.

"Roy?"

"I can't loose you, Riza. You're all I have left." He folded his hands in his lap. "Loosing Maes was hard enough, but at least I still had you. If it had been you instead of Maes, I am not sure I would have been able to continue with my plans."

She opened her mouth to argue with that, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"I know that you disagree. Riza, what is the point of my surviving the changes to the government if I don't seeing any future for myself? Part of the reason I've worked so hard to get to the top is because I couldn't see either of us being able to settle down until the whole mess our country is in was taken care of. That's what I want most of all, Riza, a future with you."

She was speechless. This was something she didn't know how to deal with. That was one of the reasons she had avoided the subject. They could not afford a romance now.

"Colonel, Roy," she corrected herself. "We can't do this. As much as I want this, as much as I love you, I can't jeopardize your plans. We agreed to see this through. We both know we have to do this even if it does mean some personal sacrifice."

And suddenly he was beside her on the couch, his hands wrapping around hers. "I know, Riza. Believe me, I know. But you need to know why I won't take this lightly. I'm willing to wait, but I can't loose you. You're life is not expendable."

He kissed her, cutting off any reply she might form. Roy drew back only after air was becoming an issue for them both, returning to his chair.

"I won't do that again, Riza, but you needed to understand."

Riza took a sip of her tea. She was pretty sure she was in shock. Roy Mustang had just kissed her for the second time today. The last time he'd kissed her had been shortly after Maes' funeral. And before that, it had been years ago, at Maes and Gracia's wedding.

"Roy," she found herself speaking without censoring herself for a change, "when this is over, when you're Fuhrur, all you need to do is ask. The answer will always be yes."

He smiled. "Good."

And for some reason, things weren't as awkward. With the elephant in the room addressed, they could both relax into a semblance of normalcy. Riza knew that the colonel probably would not sleep much in favor of keeping watch. Of course, she doubted she would sleep much herself.

"Would you like to use the shower before bed?"

"I'll take one in the morning if that's okay, sir."

"Of course, Hawkeye. You know where the guest room is. I'm going to take a quick shower and head to bed myself."

She nodded and returned to her book. She would wait until he was done before getting ready for bed. Otherwise, they might end up in an embarrassing and awkward position. It wouldn't be the first time they had walked in on each other in the bathroom, but they were too old for it not to be problematic now.

A rap at the door startled her out of her thoughts. Riza put her book aside and drew her piece before going to the door. She peered out the spy hole to find no one in sight. That alone was enough to put her on edge. She also wasn't about to open the door without the colonel present. For one thing, it would be stupid to do so without backup. For another, it would just set the colonel off again.

Mustang emerged from the shower dressed in his pajamas and with tousled hair. He took one look at her and produced his gloves from a pocket.

"What is it?"

"Someone knocked at the door, but there was no one there. I wanted to wait for you before I took a look."

They eased open the door cautiously. However, the only thing waiting for them was another rose, photo, and note. Mustang carefully brought them into the apartment and relocked the door. Setting them down on the kitchen table, he began to read the note. Riza leaned over his shoulder to read the message: _He can't protect you, little girl_. The picture showed the two of them entering the apartment building.

Roy's arm slid around her waist. He said nothing, but she could feel the tension in him. She sighed; neither of them was going to get any sleep after this.

"We know this person. Or at least, he knows us." Roy bit his lip. "This is personal."

She nodded. "I thought it was some random wacko at first, but you're right. Either, this guy knows us, or he's been watching me long enough to know how we both would react."

He looked at up her. "We can speculate on all this later. You need some sleep."

"I won't sleep now, too much adrenaline."

Roy frowned. "Have you had any sleep at all in the past few days besides the three hours you got in my bed?"

"Yes." It wasn't quite a lie. She had slept some the night before last.

"Hawkeye," his tone was stern. "You are going to bed."

"With all do respect, sir. You can't force me to sleep."

He smirked. "Would you care to put money on that? I got you back to sleep after nightmares when we were young, and I bet I can still do it."

She glared at him. He glared back. Hayate looked between the two and barked.

"Fine. If you think you can get me to sleep, go ahead and try."

"Go get ready for bed, and we'll put this to the test."

Riza sighed but went and changed. After brushing her teeth and hair, she returned to the living room. "Well?"

"Come on." He took her by the hand, leading the way to the guest room. "Into bed with you."

He tucked her into bed like a little girl then turned down the lights. Running his fingers through her hair, Roy began to sing. "Sleep, my dear, and peace attend thee, all through the night. Guardian angels God will send thee, all through the night. Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and vale in slumber sleeping. I my loved ones watch am keeping, all through the night…"

Riza found herself surprisingly relaxed. She closed her eyes to rest for a moment. When she opened them again, it was early morning, and Roy was gone. Easing out of bed, she collected her robe from the closet and tiptoed through the apartment. Riza found Roy asleep on the couch; Hayate curled up next to him. She left them to sleep and began putting together breakfast. Roy's kitchen wasn't well stocked, but she managed to put together omelets for them both.

"You cooked?" A bleary eyed Roy peered over her shoulder. "You didn't have to do that."

"There's also coffee, sir."

"You are a wonderful person." He poured himself a cup, doctoring it with cream. "He's accelerating. We have to find this guy before he takes action, and I don't think we have much more time."

"You've been thinking about this."

He grimaced. "Most of the night. I went over the copies we made of the notes. He's getting more aggressive, and the notes are coming more frequently. It won't be long before he escalates again. And I think that it's going to go beyond property damage."

She shooed him towards the kitchen table with a frown. "I think you're right. Do you think he'll go after people I know or Hayate? Hayate would be the next logical step."

The dog in question perked his ears up. He knew his people were talking about him.

"I just wish we had more to go on. I'm hoping that the guys will have turned up something, but this guy strikes me as too careful to leave much in the way of evidence." Roy slipped some bacon to the dog. "What do we know for sure?"

"He's fixated on me, perhaps because I'm a woman in the military. He's familiar enough with our office to avoid notice when delivering the roses. He's been keeping me under surveillance." Riza paused, pouring herself another cup of tea. "He's increased the frequency of the notes and progressed from simply notes and roses to notes, roses, and photos. He knows I'm staying with you."

Roy collected the breakfast dishes. "We're assuming it's a man. Could it be a woman?"

"I don't think so. The wording doesn't sound like a woman, even a woman who disapproves of women being in the military. Our stalker is male."

"And military, I think. Dry the dishes while I wash?"

"Of course. Why military?"

"He managed to get in and out of our office without being noticed. Either the man is very skilled or he in some way belongs there. Someone who works for the military makes the most sense. Also, there seems to be some sort of personal effrontery about you being in the military. That would suggest some sort of connection to the military."

"So we have male and military." Riza dried the last of the dishes. "That's still not much to go on. Most of the personnel here match that description. We've only ruled out the women."

"As well as Havoc, Falman, Breda, Armstrong, Fuery, Brosh, and the Elrics. We know it's not any of them."

"That still leaves us with a very large group of suspects."

"Hopefully, the others will have something to narrow it down for us. I should be ready to leave for work in about fifteen minutes."

It didn't take her long to change into her uniform and put herself together for work. She tidied up the living room while she waited for Roy to finish getting ready. It was clear that Roy had slept on the couch rather than in his own bed, and the remainders of his research were scattered around the room.

They left the apartment with Hayate in tow. There was no way Riza was leaving him behind when he might be a target. As usual they were the first people in the office, but there was evidence of the other's research as well. They each went about their morning routines as usual while the others began trickling in. Once everyone had arrived, Mustang called everyone into the office.

"What do you have for me?"

"The paper for the notes is the same stuff we use here. It's widely available and the military isn't the only organization that uses it. I can try to track all of them down, but I doubt it will help much. The ink is from a standard ball point pen, but Sheska thinks she might be able to match it to a specific brand," Havoc rattled off.

Breda shrugged. "There were no fingerprints on any of the notes or the photos. The photos appear to be self developed. There is a small possibility that they could have been developed by a very small firm, but it more likely that our guy did it himself. The photo paper he used is all 3x4 seems to have come from the same batch. Either he hasn't made prints of that many pictures, or he buys in bulk. There are only three manufactures of photo paper in Central, and he would have to go to a specialty store to get the paper. I'm trying to track down the brands of developing chemicals he used, but so far the lab hasn't had much luck identifying anything other than the types of chemicals used."

"The roses are Black Baccara. They're fairly rare, but at least ten florists in town carry them," Falman added. "That's probably our best bet for tracking him down."

Fuery added another report to the stack. "I double checked with people here. No one has seen anything suspicious lately. The closest you get is some of the women have noticed a few lurkers around their locker room."

Riza traded a look with Mustang. "That fits the profile we have so far, sir, male and military. He also clearly knows something about photography and forensics. He intelligent enough not leave us much evidence, and he knows something about the symbolism of flowers."

At their looks she explained, "Black roses either mean slavish devotion or death and hatred."

"All right. Falman, track down the florists and see who has bought the roses in the past month or so. Go to all of them. For all we know, he's been buying the roses at different stores each time. Breda, keep working on the photo angle and have Fuery help you. Havoc, see if you can pick up any useful gossip. Anything that might be linked to this, follow up on."

Once the others had left, she asked, "And what about me?"

He sighed. "You can help me get all this work done, so people won't come inquiring after what we're doing. I would prefer to keep this investigation among people I can trust."

The morning passed quietly. Hayate had stationed himself at the colonel's feet, and for once, Mustang wasn't procrastinating with his work. She was mildly irked at being kept in the office, but really there wasn't much more she could do. And at least this way, she wouldn't have to worry about someone taking Hayate while she was out running errands. Still, part of her rankled at being stuck with paperwork while someone was threatening her. But at least, Mustang was acting sensibly again.

Havoc ran out and got lunch from the local deli, so they could discuss the investigation. As the put the pieces together, Riza felt her stomach tie in knots. They were closer, yes, but they weren't close enough. They weren't going to find this guy today, and she wasn't sure how long she could deal with the colonel's overprotectiveness. Today hadn't been too bad, but then so far there had been no overt threats. And the colonel had kept her with him in the office the entire time. He couldn't continue to act like this, not with his plans. She needed to be able to function as his assistant, and as a target, she couldn't do that.

The afternoon passed much the same as the morning. There were no new notes delivered, and the guys were busy with their tasks. The lack of notes bothered her slightly. Her stalker had broken his pattern by delivering the latest one to the colonel's apartment rather than her own. In her experience broken patterns were not a good thing. It typically meant that things were going to get worse.

Hayate yipped, and she idly reached down to pet him. At least someone was enjoying themselves. Mustang was completely spoiling her dog. By the time this was over, Hayate was going to want to live with Mustang permanently.

"Hawkeye?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you think we can call it a night?"

She glanced at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock. Surveying his desk, she was surprised to see that almost all the paperwork had been completed. "I suppose so. It would be helpful if you would do your work like this every day."

"But then people would expect me to actually work."

They were both on edge as the walked to his apartment. Hayate was kept on a short leash. Neither really spoke. Roy had his gloves on, and Riza found herself reaching for her guns on several occasions. But they reached his door without incident. Unfortunately, there was something waiting for them on the doorstep.

Riza found herself shoved behind Mustang, his body blocking her line of sight. She peered over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of black roses spread across the doorstep before Mustang blocked her view once again.

"You don't need to see this, Hawkeye."

"Sir, I don't need to be babied."

"You mistake me, Hawkeye." His voice was cold and harsh. "No one needs to see this."

"Sir."

"Please, Hawkeye. You really don't need to see this."

"Sir, I need to know what we're dealing with."

He sighed. "All right. Look and then we'll call Havoc. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

He moved aside, allowing her to see the mess on the doorstep. At least two dozen black roses were spread in front of the door. Laying on top of them was a pair of burgundy lace underwear covered with semen. She bit her lip.

"Those are mine."

"I thought they might be." His voice was soft. "Let's go call Havoc. My landlord should let us use his phone."

Mustang took hold of her arm ushered her downstairs to the landlord's apartment. He didn't let go when they were ushered inside or during the phone call to Havoc. He didn't let go when Havoc arrived. It wasn't until they were safely inside his apartment after everyone else had gone that he let go of her. Riza quietly went about caring for Hayate for the evening. She wasn't concerned about herself. She had lost her appetite.

Roy had watched her the entire time from the kitchen. He'd put the kettle on but had made no moves to start dinner. Instead, he began rummaging through his cupboards, removing a bottle of rum and a jar of cinnamon sticks. He also scrounged up a lemon and some honey. She watched as he liberally doctored the pot of tea with brown sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and honey before adding a shot of rum to the whole thing. He poured a cup and set it in front of her.

"Drink that." When she just looked at him, he sighed. "Your hands are shaking. And I'm certainly not going to be able to unwind without some help. There's not enough alcohol in it to affect either of us if something happens."

She took a small sip, still dubious about the drink. Warmth flooded her as the liquid trickled down her throat; she hadn't realized that she was so cold. The taste was sweeter than normal with spice in the aftertaste. Riza took a larger sip. It wasn't that bad, and her hands were shaking enough to rattle the saucer when she put the cup down.

"What is this anyway?"

"Gracia's solution for nerves." Roy shrugged. "I asked for the recipe after my state exam."

Neither spoke much the rest of the evening. Both had been shaken by the scene on the doorstep more than they wanted to admit, and neither of them really wanted to discuss it. Riza went to bed early, hoping to slip into a dreamless sleep again tonight. Unfortunately, the peace of the previous night was not to be found.

Her own screams and hands on her shoulders woke her. Riza lashed out in the dark, reacting instinctively.

"It's just me, Hawkeye. Calm down. I won't hurt you." Mustang's voice brought her back to herself. She was shaking and drenched in sweat, but at least she was safe. Riza found herself being hauled out of the bed and into a pair of strong arms. Roy held her, one hand buried in her hair and his other arm wrapped securely around her waist.

"I'm here. It's just a dream."

Riza let him hold her, pressing her face against his shoulder. She wanted this to be over. She wanted to go back to worrying about what trouble Edward and Alphonse were getting into now and whether her colonel was going off half cocked again. She wanted to be able to fall asleep in her own apartment. She wanted her life back.

Mustang shifted slightly, pulling back. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Instead of setting her back on the bed, Roy scooped her up and carried her out of the room. He set her down on his own bed, gently smoothing her hair. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go back to sleep. I'll be here if you wake again."

She closed her eyes and let herself relax as he stroked her hair. She woke twice more, but each time Roy was there to sooth her back to sleep. When she woke in the morning, he was asleep in a chair beside her, head resting on the bed. With a smile she ran her fingers through his hair. She would have gotten up and started breakfast, but Riza had the feeling that should the colonel wake up and find her gone, he might panic.

"Sir, you need to get up."

He nuzzled her hand. "Later."

"Now, sir."

"Don't wanna."

"I am getting up to make breakfast. You are welcome to go back to sleep, sir, but I can't guarantee there will be any food left if you do."

Five minutes after she had started cooking, a rather bedraggled Mustang appeared in the kitchen.

"Meanie."

"We do have work in an hour's time."

He grumbled but took the bacon from the refrigerator and it as well as the eggs. He also accepted the cup of coffee she handed him. It wasn't long before the waffles were ready, and they sat down to a silent breakfast.

"Havoc will pick us at eight. I'm hoping that they'll have tracked down everyone who purchased the roses."

She nodded. Mustang reached for her hand. "We are going to find this bastard, Hawkeye. He is not going to hurt you."

His fingers caressed her wrist a moment more before letting go. She retired to the guest room to change into her uniform. By the time she was ready, Havoc had arrived. The car ride to the office was silent. Havoc had indicated he had news, but he had wanted to discuss it in a secure location. Once again Hayate had been brought along as Riza was not about to leave the pup on its own.

The entire group gathered in Mustang's office. Falman produced a sheaf of notes.

"Only two of the shops have sold the roses recently. One of them to a widow who has bought a dozen every week for the past ten years, and the other has had three customers by them, one woman and two men. I was able to obtain descriptions of both men. I don't think the first is our guy though. He's about eighty years old and extremely nearsighted."

"And the other?" Mustang's grip on his pen tightened.

"Apparently, the other man always wore a hat, but the shopkeeper could tell that he had dark hair and dark eyes. He was fairly tall with a slender build."

"Havoc?"

"I haven't been able to find out much, Boss. Things have actually been rather quiet lately. I've got Maria Ross keeping her ears open though, and Sheska is doing some checking for similar incidents." He frowned. "Now that I think about it, Sheska said that Lieutenant Colonel Archer had been doing some research on botany of all things. Or at least that's what she thought. He doesn't like her very much and hardly ever leaves his books for her to reshelf."

Mustang frowned. "I don't think I know Archer."

"He was assigned to Investigation from Southern HQ." Riza deliberately kept her voice level despite her frown. "That was right after General Hughes' funeral."

Mustang stiffed. "You've met him, Hawkeye?"

"Not exactly. We've been in the same room a number of times, but he has always ignored me."

Havoc snorted. "He's nosey. I know that much. And he's not friendly either. He likes to be able to hold things over people. He doesn't like alchemists either."

"Oh?" The colonel had latched onto that piece of information. "Why is that?"

"Personally, I think he had an inferiority complex. He seems to think that alchemy is a cop out. That and he missed Ishval. He thinks he has to prove he better than those of us who were." Havoc frowned. "He definitely some one to watch."

There was a sharp rap at the door, and Maria Ross poked her head in. "Excuse me, sir, but Major Armstrong wanted to see you. He said it was important."

Mustang nodded. "All right. The rest of you, back to work. Follow up on whatever you have. Hawkeye, would you take care of the paperwork in the third drawer of my desk? We need to get those put in place as soon as possible."

She nodded, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She would do what he asked, but she wasn't happy about it. They were safest with each other, and given recent circumstances, she wasn't entirely comfortable being left on her own. With a sigh, she pulled out the papers. Her brow furrowed as she began to read. They were escape plans, contingency plans to get Gracia, Winry, and Elysia safely out of the country in case they were threatened by either the government or the homunculi. Riza continued to read, finding plans for everyone in Mustang's group, including herself. The only one there wasn't an escape plan for was Roy.

With a sigh, she began making the arrangements. With any luck they would never need to use these plans, but at least they would be ready in the event they were needed. She would have to talk to Roy about the lack of plans for his own escape. She couldn't in good conscience escape with her own life if it meant leaving him behind. His future was her future.

Riza was about halfway through making the arrangements that wouldn't look suspicious coming from the military when Mustang returned.

Riza looked up to see him locking the office door. "Sir?"

"Archer doesn't like the idea of women in the military." His voice was deceptively calm. "In his mind, the only uses for women are as nurses and as whores. He asked about you. He noticed how close we've been the past few days."

She didn't need to ask what questions Archer had had. Roy had always been careful when it came to her reputation. To tell the truth, he was careful with the reputation of any military woman he interacted with. He was well aware of the problems being branded a 'slut' or 'whore' could cause a woman in their profession. Riza was well aware that any hint of talk like that about her was quietly dealt with by Mustang and Havoc. Hughes had also done the same when he was around.

"Sir?"

He pulled her up out of her seat and into his arms. "Promise me you'll be careful. Archer is playing games with me. There's a crazed stalker after you. Every thing is unraveling, and I don't know where the real danger lies."

More than anything at that moment, Riza wanted Maes to be there. He has always been the one to deal with Roy in this mood. It had been easier for all of them that way. She and Roy had always struggled to keep some sort of distance between them. With Maes as Roy's confidant, it had been much easier. She hesitated then slid her arms around him. She didn't know what to say. Hopefully, her actions would be enough; Roy was used to reading her silences.

Hayate yipped at them and decided that Roy's pants would make a good chew toy. Roy let go of her to pet the dog. She stepped back and took a breath. They were getting in over their heads. Riza knew if this went on much longer, all of her emotional distance from Roy was going to evaporate. She needed him; she had known that for ages. But changing the military had always had priority. At least until recently.

"Hawkeye?"

Mustang's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Sir?"

He made a face. "I think I hate that word."

She gave him a pointed look. He sighed. "Armstrong didn't have anything useful. Just another dead end."

Riza winced at his phrase. Mustang ran a hand through his hair. "Did you get things set up for me?"

"Yes, sir. Everything that we can do overtly has been arranged." She frowned, carefully choosing her words. "Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to avail myself of these arrangements without some assurance that I wouldn't be breaking a pledge I made."

He frowned slightly, translating her words. Understanding dawned and he opened his mouth before shutting it again. Satisfied that she had made herself clear, Riza turned back to the work at hand.

"Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Unless you'd like to dispose of all my paperwork for me?"

She reached for her gun. Mustang held his hands up in defense. "I'm kidding. I'm going to do the paperwork. I promise."

She just shook her head. "See that you do. I need to take the requisitions to the quartermaster, sir. I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"Take Havoc with you."

Riza glared at him. Mustang just held her gaze. "I know you don't like it. It's a reasonable precaution though. I don't want you going anywhere on your own."

She sighed. "Yes, sir."

He was right about it being a reasonable precaution. Riza just didn't want that precaution to be necessary. She wanted her life back. Havoc fell in beside her as they headed down the corridor. Thankfully, he knew her well enough not to try and make conversation. He did, however, keep between her and any passing officers the entire time. It wasn't that surprising; Havoc was almost as protective of her as the colonel was. Sometime during their basic training he had decided to adopt her as a younger sister of sorts.

In a lot of ways, he was her Hughes. It wasn't quite the same relationship Mustang and Hughes had, but it was close. Even so, Mustang was bad enough on his own. Havoc did not need to be overprotective as well. Of course, she doubted she could convince him of that. Havoc's hovering notwithstanding, she managed to get all of the requisitions approved and filed in less than fifteen minutes.

They weren't expecting the commotion back at the office. Riza found herself bracketed by a grim looking Maria Ross and a furious Armstrong. Havoc was conversing in hushed tones with Mustang and Brosh. She could clearly see Hayate in Mustang's arms, so that was one less thing to be worried about. There was something on her desk.

Mustang turned towards her. He strode over to her, Hayate tucked under his arm, and silently led her into the inner sanctum of his office. Riza took the pup from him.

"Sir?"

Mustang visibly composed himself. "He sent you a package. Lingerie, a gag, and a collar. Falman is going to handle the forensics."

Riza stroked her puppy, trying to come up with a response that wasn't either hysterics or completely blasé. Roy wouldn't handle either well right now. What she really wanted to do was curl up someplace far from here with a nice romance novel. Roy's company would be an additional bonus. She just wanted to feel safe again.

"Havoc, Brosh, and Ross are going to check my apartment and then escort us back there if it's still secure. If not, Armstrong will arrange a safe house." He was staring at some point on the wall behind her. "It'll be a few more hours before we leave here though."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to remove you from this. You need to know what's going on, and I honestly don't know what he'll do if we hide you away."

She slid a hand into his, as much for his comfort as hers. "You will catch him. I trust you to do your job. Even if I'm not here to help you."

He squeezed her hand, and they returned to work. Silence engulfed the office. Riza knew that things were quickly spiraling out of their control. If there wasn't a break in the case soon, she would definitely be moved off it. She might even be reassigned for her own safety of course. The military couldn't afford to have her in a position where she couldn't do her job. Unfortunately, what she considered her job, protecting Roy Mustang, and what the military considered her job were different things, and even she had to admit as long as she was a direct target, she was not an effective bodyguard for Mustang.

The steady sound of pen across paper was interrupted by Maria Ross opening the door. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am, but the others have ordered a pizza, and I thought you two might want some dinner before we leave."

"Thank you, Ross." The colonel rose. "Hawkeye?"

She followed him out into the main office. Dinner almost felt normal. Fuery slipped pieces of pepperoni to Hayate under the table while Havoc and Breda made wagers on when Brosh would get the nerve to admit to Ross he liked her and what sort of trouble Ed would get himself into next. Riza was reluctant to give up the sanctuary of the office, but she knew she couldn't put off returning to the apartment forever. With a sigh, she began gathering her things up for the evening.

Havoc made a call to the surveillance team left at the apartment, and after confirming it was still secure, they headed back to the apartment. Havoc and Ross checked the apartment a second time before leaving them for the night. Mustang started dinner while Riza took care of feeding Hayate. Fuery had taken him for a walk just before they had left, so the dog should be set for the night.

Dinner progressed silently. Mustang seemed lost in his thoughts, and she didn't feel the need for conversation. Afterwards, he shooed her out the kitchen when she went to wash the dishes.

"Go take a bath, Hawkeye. That's an order. You're in need of relaxation much more than I am. You know where my books are."

Riza sighed but selected a romance novel from the shelves. Mustang did have a very nice claw foot bathtub. She hung her guns on a chair with in reaching distance and ran the hot water. Amused by the discovery of sandalwood bath oil in the towel cabinet, she poured a liberal amount in the bath and eased herself into the hot water. Between the heat of the water and the plot of the book, Riza found herself relaxing. By the time the water started to cool, she felt boneless and significantly calmer.

Lazily, she reached for her towel. A nice warm cup of tea before bed would nicely round out the evening and would hopefully ease her into a nice dreamless sleep. Riza slipped the terry cloth robe on then froze as she heard an odd scuttling noise. She slipped one gun into the pocket of her robe, gripping the other as she eased the door open. The hall was dark, and a familiar hand grasped her arm.

"There's someone in the apartment." Mustang's lips nearly brushed her ear. "Hayate is safely tucked away in my closet."

She nodded, knowing he would catch the movement. They waited in silence for the intruder to approach them. With the hallway as it was, there would be no way he could get past them unseen. All they had to do was wait for him to come to them. With the hall lights turned off, their only source of light filtered in from a pair of high windows. It was enough. Riza caught the intruder's movement's first, raising her gun. Mustang moved to mirror her, so they could flank the man.

He never knew what hit him. The moment he was within range, she took his feet out from under him. Mustang was on top of him before he hit the ground.

"Stop struggling or I'll let her decide where she shoots you." He growled. "Hawkeye, do you have handcuffs?"

"In my purse."

"Get them."

Once securely restrained, they hauled the man to his feet. Mustang snapped, lighting the few gas lamps that hadn't been replaced by electrical ones. Riza's eyes narrowed.

"Archer."

He snarled at her. "Bitch! Couldn't keep in your place. No, you had to strive to match your betters. And even then you couldn't accept your punishment. No, you had to defy your place once again."

"That's enough." Mustang's voice was quiet, but Riza couldn't help shivering. His temper was hanging by a thread.

"You should have known better. But then you are an alchemist. It shouldn't be surprising that you'd take up with a conniving whore."

Mustang punched him. Riza simply sighed. "I'll get a gag, sir."

With Archer gagged and deposited in the living room, Riza left the colonel to call Havoc and the others and changed into workout clothing. She was not about to greet the arriving officers in her bathrobe. Once Archer was safely in custody, then she could go back to bed.

It took nearly an hour for the military police to get all the information they needed and get Archer out of their hair. Mustang let out a sigh and collapsed onto the couch.

"It's over." He ran a hand through his hair. "We got him."

The adrenaline was still running high for her. With herself, the colonel, and Hayate out of danger, there was no need for it, but it would be a while before she would settle down enough to sleep.

"Would you like a cup of tea, sir?"

"That would be lovely, Hawkeye. I'm too wound up to sleep right now."

They sat on the couch, drinking tea. Hayate sprawled across both their laps, and Riza found herself resting her head on Mustang's shoulder. Tomorrow things would go back to normal. She would return to her apartment, and once again they would simply be the colonel and his lieutenant. But at least until morning, she could sit here with her closest friend and just rest.

"Hawkeye?"

"Hmm?"

"I miss this. I miss sharing a home with you." He wrapped an arm around her.

"Me too." She snuggled into his shoulder and sleepily murmured "You become Fuhrur, and I'll move in with you. Deal?"

He yawned. "Deal."

They were both late for work the next morning, but no one commented on the fact. After all, just about everyone agreed those two needed a goodnight's sleep after everything.

* * *

Theme: Black Rose


	24. Converging Roads

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters. This is AU.**  
**

* * *

**Converging Roads**

They parted ways three days after the funeral. His leave was almost up, and her mother's family had sent someone to take her back to their estate. The days had both flown and crawled by, almost separate from the outside world. During those three days cloistered together in the house, secrets had been shared and a pledge made. Most of their hours were spent in study of the array. It was odd the contrast between Roy's study of the tattoo and her father's. Her father's touch had always been cold and impersonal for the most part and often accompanied by the pain of the needle. Roy's touch was always gentle, careful. He'd been furious when she revealed it, furious on her behalf. He had said he would have rather the knowledge be lost than she should suffer. It was odd. For most of her life, the one person that cared most about her had been Roy. He had promised that he wouldn't forget her and when this Ishval thing was over, he'd come back and see her.

None of that showed in their parting. They were almost formal in their goodbyes. Of course, Riza always had been fairly quiet and extremely polite in public. As she was driven away, she fought the urge to follow him. She locked it away in her heart for she knew it was not logical or rational, even if it felt more right than any other would. In any case, she had never been one for betraying her emotions. Her mother's family had offered her a home, and she hoped that they would help her find her place in the world. She had no idea what she wanted to do with her life, other than the fact that she believed in Roy's dream.

It would be another three weeks before Riza gave in. The life her family had planned out was not one she wanted to be a part of. She might not know what she wanted to do with her life, but Riza knew that being an ornament for some man was not it. She left in the middle of the night, and by noon the next day, she was enlisted in the military. And within a month, she was out on the front lines. The reality of the war was horrifying. Riza held to the fact that she wasn't the only who was sickened by the truth. This was not what Roy had wanted, and she kept going because she knew he would need someone to stand with him. If events had been different, she would have been with him for the end of the war; she would have become his protector, both physically and of his ideals.

But six months after being sent to Ishval and two days before she would have been assigned to the State Alchemists, her family arrived to drag her back to a life that was not her own. She did as she was instructed and accepted her family's punishments silently, but she held on to his promise. It was all she had left.

* * *

He wanted to keep his promise, but he wasn't ready to. How could he be? He had become exactly what her father had feared. Even worse, by doing so he had abused her trust. Riza had entrusted him with her father's research despite her father's doubts about him and with that she had entrusted him with her safety. There were those who would kill for knowledge she carried. She had given him that information, so he could use it to make life better for his country, not participate in the slaughter of innocents. How could he face her with the blood on his hands?

So Roy threw himself into his plans. Their promise was tucked away for later, after he made things right. He didn't think about it. Not when he and Maes worked on their plans. Not when he went out with a different woman each night. It was only on his seldom nights with dreams instead of nightmares that blond hair and mahogany eyes haunted him.

He missed her though. Maes was his best friend, but there were things that Maes didn't know about him. Things that they didn't go through together. Riza was something special. It had taken him months after leaving his teacher's home to get used to her presence not being around. There was something special about her. For some reason she had become such an important part of him that he was willing to protect her from anything, even if it was himself.

He dated a lot. Maes thought it would be a good idea, and none of the girls really held his attention for more than a night or two anyway. If he thought about the long term with relationships, which he rarely did, the only person who sprung to mind was Riza Hawkeye which was why he rarely thought about long term relationships. But he didn't have a date tonight. No tonight he was stuck attending another one of the victory soirées for Ishval. Maes and Gracia would be there of course, but he couldn't hide behind his friends the entire time, not with his plans. Which was why he was now trapped talking to Lieutenant General Grumman.

"I'd like you to meet my granddaughter. She's here tonight. I think you two will get along quite well."

Roy didn't sigh. He would have liked to, but he was enough used to it to know better. This would not be the first time a superior office tried to set him up with one of their relations. He had become remarkably adept at getting out of follow up dates.

"Now where is she? Well, I'll make sure to introduce you two before the night is over. Honestly, I'd much rather have you be the one she spends her time with rather than the officers the rest of the family has in mind."

Now that was interesting. This might be something worth investigating. A flash of blond caught his attention. He turned just enough to see a blond woman disappear from the room.

"Excuse me, sir. I'll see you and your granddaughter later."

What had caught his attention was not the woman, but the man who had a hold of her. Roy didn't know Lieutenant Archer personally, but he did know the company the man kept, and he wasn't about to leave a young woman alone in the company of a man who shared the same tastes as the Crimson Alchemist without making sure it was what she really wanted.

It took him nearly two minutes to catch up with them, and by then things had gotten out of hand. The woman was backed into a corner. Her dress was disordered, and it looked like it might be torn. It was clear from Archer's appearance that she had fought back as the man had the beginnings of a black eye.

"What is going on here, Lieutenant?"

Archer froze, and his victim raised her head enough for Roy to see her face.

"I think Miss Hawkeye would like you to leave now." His voice was deceptively gentle; it wouldn't take much for him to lose control of his temper right now.

Archer took a step back from her and then another. He edged past Roy then headed down the hall, leaving Roy to turn his attention to Riza. She was still pressed tightly in the corner, eyes wide and afraid. He took a step towards her.

"Riza, it's all right. He won't be back. Not any time soon at least."

She didn't move, but her posture visibly relaxed. "My dress tore across the back. I don't know how badly. I don't think he saw anything, though."

Pulling off his jacket, Roy choked down his anger at her father. He hated her father for doing this to her. She would protect that damn array at her own expense. Roy wrapped the jacket around her, easing her away from the wall. To his surprise, Riza went willingly into his embrace, standing within the circle of his arms her head resting against his heart.

"Riza?"

She sighed, and he tightened his grip on her.

"This is the first time I've felt safe since leaving my father's home," she admitted softly.

Before he could reply to that rather astonishing remark, they were interrupted by Maes pounding up.

"Roy, where have you been? You need to be mingling with the higher up if you want to--" He stared at Riza. "What's going on?"

Mustang shifted Riza slightly. "She just had a run in with Archer. Could you grab Gracia and meet us in the study?"

His friend's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Give me five minutes."

Roy herded Riza towards the study. "Gracia is Maes' fiancée. She's also a nurse. I want to make sure you don't have anything worse than bruises, and we can see what we can do about the back of your dress."

By the time Maes had returned with Gracia, Roy had Riza ensconced in a chair with a glass of brandy. She looked at it skeptically. "You want me to drink this?"

Roy sighed. "Riza, you're wound tight as a spring, and your hands won't stop shaking. You don't have to drink all of it, but you need to relax before you hurt yourself or someone else."

She nodded and knocked back half the glass.

"Roy, Maes said you needed me?"

He smiled at the petite woman who had entered the room right behind his friend. "Gracia, this is Riza Hawkeye. She's a friend of mine. Riza, this is Gracia Isley. She worked at a hospital for those injured in Ishval."

Gracia smiled at her. "Maes said you had a minor run in. Anything worse than bruises?"

Riza shook her head. "No, but the back of my dress tore. I can't risk my back being visible."

Gracia and Maes shared a glance. Riza glanced at Roy who nodded. She turned, slipping the jacket off, so her back was visible.

"Roy, isn't that--"

She cut him off before he could make any accusations. "My father's legacy."

"Your father?"

Gentle fingers examined the back of her dress. "Hush, Maes. This isn't too bad. I'll be able to fix it for the rest of the evening, but I wouldn't be attempting anything too active until you can change clothes. This will just take a few minutes."

Roy watched as Gracia made the repairs, taking a chance to really look at Riza; he'd simply reacted to her presence before. She looked good. Her hair was longer than he remembered; she had once talked about growing it out, and it appeared she was doing that. She seemed thinner and paler than he remember, but she had always been petite and delicate looking. It was definitely a deceiving appearance.

"There you go. Now does anyone have an idea of how we explain our absence?" Gracia turned to the two men.

Riza handed him his jacket then smiled at Gracia. "That's easy enough. The two of use ran into each in the rest room. I had a little problem with my dress which Gracia helped me solve, but we took long enough that you and Maes had come looking for her."

With that problem solved, they headed back to the main hall. Roy kept an arm around Riza. It wasn't quite appropriate given that technically they had never been formally introduce and had no formal relationship. However, he didn't care. He had promised Riza's father he would look after her. More importantly, he had promised himself the same. Riza was one of the few people in his life that he truly felt close to, Maes and Gracia were also on that list, and he wasn't about to let any one harm her. The fact that she hadn't felt safe since they'd parted after her father's funeral spoke volumes about what her current situation was like.

Gracia and Maes melted easily back into the crowd while Roy steered Riza towards the refreshments. He didn't know if she'd eaten before the party, but given the amount of brandy she'd had, it would probably do her good to have some food as well. She was nibbling on a pastry when Lt. General Grumman approached them.

"Mustang, there you are. I haven't found my granddaughter yet, but…" He caught sight of Riza. "Riza, there you are. I wanted to introduce you to Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Mustang, this is my granddaughter, Riza Hawkeye."

They looked at each other then back at him and chorused, "We've met."

Riza smiled at her grandfather. "Where do you think he learned flame alchemy?"

The man looked between the two young people. "That's even better then. No offense, granddaughter, but I like him much better than the other officers you've been keeping company lately."

"None of them were by my choice. And I left as soon as I could. It's not my fault that the family is trying to catapult me into marriage."

Roy slid his arm around her once again, and Riza leaned into him. This did not go unnoticed by the general.

"You two might want to make yourselves scarce. I see your uncle heading this way, Riza, and his has the Crimson Alchemist with him."

She kissed her grandfather's cheek. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Sir." Roy turned to Riza. "Why don't I go properly introduce you to Maes and Gracia, and then we can have a dance or two?"

"That sounds lovely."

It was easy enough for him to locate Maes.

"Maes, Gracia, I'd like you to meet Riza Hawkeye. Riza, this is my friend, Maes Hughes, and his fiancée, Gracia Isley."

Riza smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you both."

Gracia smiled back. "It's so nice to meet someone with more than half a brain at these things. I swear there's some black hole that draws all the fluff heads in the country straight to these functions."

"Oh good," Riza giggled. "I'm not the only one who thinks I'm loosing brain cells the more time I spend with them."

Roy shared a look with Maes. He might have just created a monster. On the other hand, it was rather helpful for his plans that the two women got along.

"You'll have to come visit me. Save me from my cousins. At this rate my wedding is going to turn into a circus, and I'm going to go insane."

"I'd be glad to. I don't know that many people in Central yet, and most of the ones my relatives have introduced me to aren't people I would willingly spend time with."

"Wonderful. I'll expect to hear from you soon. I'm going to steal Maes for another dance before my parents decide we need to leave."

"I'd like a dance myself," Roy commented.

He led Riza over to the dance floor. "Are to you all right? I know I should of asked you earlier, but I thought I was reading you well enough to understand that you didn't want it brought up. Archer didn't hurt you in any way, did--"

She pressed a fingertip to his lips. "He scared me, yes. Probably left bruises. But I'm fine. You saw to that. I am safe."

He sighed. "I'm just glad I went after him. I've heard stories from Ishval about both him and Kimbly that make it hard to trust him with women."

"I know. I knew I was in trouble when he started herding me out of the room, but there was no way I could get away without causing a fuss, and then I would just been in hotter water with my family."

"I hadn't thought the rumors about him had gotten this far from the front."

"They haven't, for the most part."

He looked at her, puzzling out what she was trying to tell him. He didn't understand what she was getting at. She sighed a little.

"My family doesn't want it public knowledge, but I was a sniper in Ishval for six months."

Roy just looked at her, really looked at her. It was in her eyes. He knew that look. It was in his eyes, in Maes' eyes, and in the eyes of almost everyone who had survived Ishval. He pulled tighter against him. "I am so sorry, Riza. I didn't mean to get you caught up in all this. I never wanted you to be hurt like that."

Her smile was sad. "It's not your fault. It was my choice. If things had worked out differently, I might be under your command right now."

That brought up another question. "What happened? Were you injured or did you refuse orders or--"

"My family dragged me back," she cut him off bitterly. "Apparently, they did not feel it was suitable for a young woman to be perusing a military career, especially when she is some how associated with their family. I don't know how they arranged it, but some how they got the military to let me go. And they arranged it so I can't ever rejoin the military either."

He understood her anger. They had taken away her options. That was part of it. And even as miserable as it had been out on the front lines, she had belonged there. She had been one of them, and her family had taken her away from that sense of belonging. That was the other part. In some ways that was the bigger part. He knew that better than anyone. You couldn't have been in Ishval without it changing you some how. The fact that she could understand that part of him meant a lot to him, but the price she had to pay to gain that, he would have preferred to keep her from that, even if it meant losing her in the end.

The song ended, and he steered her towards one of the balcony exits. They settled down on one of the stone benches hidden in the shadows. Roy held onto her hands, trying to find the words he needed.

"I'm going to change things, Riza. There can't ever be another Ishval. I'm going to become Fuhrur to make sure of it. Will you help me?"

She squeezed his hands. "Of course, but you shouldn't speak of such things so lightly. What if some one overheard you? What can I do?"

He leaned forward and kissed her. He hadn't meant to, but there was something about her eyes in the moonlight and the hope that had sprung into them. Her mouth was soft against his and responded to his every touch. It was only when it opened beneath his that he realized what his was doing and pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Not after what Archer tried tonig--"

He was cut off by her lips coaxing his to respond. She pulled back from him, her eyes serious. "You don't have to apologize. I wanted the kiss just as much. You are not forcing me into anything."

He kissed her again. She was intoxicating. He and Riza had always had something between them. There had always been a connection, but he hadn't realized just how much he needed her. They pulled apart as someone else came out on to the balcony. Riza was flushed, looking very thoroughly kissed.

"We should go back inside. They should be wrapping up soon."

She nodded and rose to her feet. He tucked her hand in the crook of her arm and led her back inside. He had been right. It was clear that the party was on its last legs. Roy steered them towards Riza's grandfather. He wanted to make sure he had a standing invitation to visit her after tonight. He wasn't about to let her disappear from his life again.

He had just spotted Grumman when they were accosted by a gentleman Roy did not recognize.

"Riza, there you are. You're supposed to be mingling with the men I introduced you to. And who is this?"

Riza familiar calm façade was back. "This is Lt. Colonel Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Grandfather introduced us."

He noted she made no mention of their past association. He knew her well enough to tell that she didn't trust this man. Given the men he had apparently introduced her to, Roy didn't trust him either.

"Sir."

"Lt. Colonel."

Riza jumped in again. "We were just on our way to see Grandfather, Uncle. If you'll excuse us?"

Roy didn't wait for an answer. Riza had been tense from the moment that man approached them and getting her away from him seemed like a good idea. She'd had enough trouble tonight without adding to it. Grumman seemed quite pleased that they were getting along.

"You'll have to come to lunch sometime, Mustang. Riza doesn't get much of a chance to get out of the house these days, and I'm sure she'd enjoy some company."

He smiled at Riza. "I'd enjoy that, sir. I had a lovely time with her this evening."

She smiled back at him, playing the role of the dutiful granddaughter. "I did as well, Colonel. I look forward to seeing you again."

He kissed her hand. He didn't want to leave her, but at this point, Roy had no choice. He would see her again. He would have to wait a few days before dropping by for lunch though. With the games he was playing, he had to be careful, and there was no way he was willing to risk Riza. Attracting attention to her was not a good idea.

Roy hated the games, but they were necessary if he was going to change things. And he was going to need Riza if he was to succeed. As long as he had the two of them to keep him on track, he could do this.

* * *

Riza was quite thankful she had plenty of practice hiding her emotions. Otherwise she would be in trouble for reason or another. She was still shaken by what had almost happened with Archer and duly concerned about the next time she might see him. She wasn't going anywhere without a handgun from now on, that was for sure. On the other hand, Riza was thrilled to see Roy again. And that kiss, or rather kisses, had really warmed her up. She had been attracted to Roy for years. She had always wondered what would have become of the two of them if he hadn't left her father's home. They might have been married by now for all she knew.

But that was just speculation. What was important right now was reestablishing connections with both Roy and the outside world. Her family had been keeping her mewed up in the house and only letting her associate with the people they chose, and since she didn't really know anyone in Central, it had worked. But Roy had given her connections of her own to polite society by introducing her to Gracia. The family couldn't object to her visiting another young woman, especially an engaged one. In fact, they just might think that Gracia would be a good influence on her. Getting out of the house would do her a world of good. At this rate she was going to lose it and end up murdering most of the family.

Her grandfather smiled at her. "What did you think of young Mustang, my dear? He seemed rather taken with you."

"He was very kind. It seems we share the same taste in poetry. He introduced me to a couple who are friends of his. Miss Isley invited me to come to tea sometime."

"That must be Major Hughes' fiancé. It's good that you're finally getting to know some people here."

Her uncle didn't look quite as pleased, but then his attempts to integrate her with society as it was had not gone well. Riza had been nearly driven to tears of boredom by the women and had the good sense to avoid ever being alone with the men. She was wise enough to know one of the easiest ways to get her married off the man of her family's choice was to have her be "disgraced" by him, and she wasn't about to let that happen. Riza still had her own plans for her life, and none of them included being married to anyone except the man of her own choice.

"I would prefer you spend some time with the officers I've introduced you to, Riza. It isn't polite to act as though you've never met them." Her uncle frowned at her. "Besides, I've heard this Mustang is quite a playboy, a different girl each night sort."

There wasn't really a polite response to that, and she couldn't very well tell him that it probably had to do with Roy's plans to overthrow the government. Her grandfather, however, did have something to say. "It's only natural, Rolf. The boy is a hero after all. Who wouldn't want a date with him?"

Riza kept her list of reasons why a girl might not want to date Roy behind her teeth. She wasn't of that mind, but she knew him well enough that she knew what his flaws were. And it wouldn't do for her uncle to learn about her interest in Roy anyway. He might even go the extreme of forbidding her to see him. Not that Riza would obey that command, but it would make her life more difficult.

She headed up to bed as soon as they arrived home. It was ordinary enough behavior that no one would comment on it. Once she had changed into a nightgown, Riza curled up in bed to do some planning. She needed to get a hold of Gracia as soon as possible. Tomorrow was out of the question, but she should be able to call on her the day after. Of course, she would need to find out where Gracia lived first. That shouldn't be too hard to do. Sighing, Riza turned out her lamp. She would have to wait on Roy coming to see her before she could go and see him. There was no way she could get away with visiting him without him visiting her grandfather giving her some sort of invitation. Hugging one of her pillows, Riza sighed and tried to relax. Tomorrow she could get to work on things, and hopefully tonight, her dreams wouldn't be about the desert.

They weren't, but she woke twice in the night, fighting off ghosts who tried to tear her clothes and expose her back and silent accusations. She woke early before most of the household was up and helped herself to tea and toast. Most of the servants were on her side, mainly due to the fact that she was completely undemanding of them, and no one ever commented on her use of the kitchen.

By the time she had finished her breakfast, other members of the household were stirring, and Riza decided she should involve herself in some sort of activity before she was roped into some social call by her aunt. When someone finally came looking for her, Riza was busy composing a note to Gracia. Her aunt could hardly fault her with working on building a social network of her own; the family had been trying to get her to do so for a while now.

"Riza dear, what are you up to now?" It was said with a long suffering sigh. Her aunt had born the burnt of the fight to turn Riza into a proper young lady.

"Writing to Miss Isley. Lt. Colonel Mustang introduced us last night. She's engaged to a friend of his. She invited me to drop by for tea sometime, and I thought I would find out when was convenient time for her."

That caused a very startled look. Riza ignored it and continued writing. If all went well, she would have at least one escape on a regular basis.

"I see. I don't know her personally, dear, but tell me who she's engaged to. I might know of him. And who introduced you to this Lt. Colonel?"

"Major Maes Hughes. And Grandfather introduced me to Colonel Mustang. He seems to be fond of the man."

Her aunt nodded. "I wouldn't get too attached to anyone your grandfather introduces you to. Your uncle already has ideas about who he wants you to marry, and I doubt it will be long before he gets things arranged."

Riza kept silent. She wasn't about to let herself be sold like a slab of meat, but she wasn't about to let the family know she had plans of her own for the future.

"In that case, I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you make any plans. I want to arrange lunch with the Armstrongs some time soon, and you should attend."

Riza nodded absently, grateful for the reprieve. Hopefully, her little conspiracy would be off the ground by then. She needn't have worried. Gracia replied quickly with an invitation to tea for the next day. Thankfully, her aunt had a prior engagement. Her uncle insisted on escorting to the Isley residence, but thanks to intervention on Gracia's mother's part, he was willing to let them arrange to take her home. Gracia quickly led her into the parlor.

"Thank you for coming, Riza. We might have some other guests later on, but for now, it's just the two of us."

"I was glad to get out of the house. I don't know how much Roy and Maes have told you, but I'm pretty much under siege."

"I have some idea, but why don't you fill me in on everything, so we can start plotting? I have to say, I'm pleased you showed up when you did. Maes and I have been rather worried about him, but I don't think we need to be anymore."

Riza raised an eyebrow at that then began filling Gracia in on the story from the very beginning: Roy coming to study with her father. Nearly an hour later, Riza felt like she had been friends with Gracia for years. The young woman was remarkably perceptive about knowing when to ask questions and when to keep her peace; the subject of the tattoo did not come up once. Gracia was also an entertaining storyteller as she gave the account of Maes's courtship of her, which apparently had been going on for quite a while.

"The first time Maes proposed, I threw mud at him. Admittedly I was just three at the time and his was four," she had begun the story.

She was just explaining the circumstances of the fifth and final proposal when the doorbell interrupted them. Gracia excused herself to answer it, and Riza relaxed, expecting it to be Roy and Maes. She was rather surprised when Gracia came rushing back in.

"Riza, you have to save me!"

She was stunned to say the least. "Gracia, what's wrong?"

Gracia grabbed her hands. "You have to be my maid of honor. My cousins just showed up, and they're already fighting over it. It's been like this since I announced my engagement."

"I'm not sure how making me the maid of honor fixes things. Won't they both feel slighted then? Besides, we barely know each other."

"Yes, but you know Roy, and he's the best man. Besides, as long as I'm not choosing one of them over the other, I should be fine. And I really can't stand either of them. Please be my maid of honor?"

Riza nearly laughed. "All right. I'll do it."

"Thank you so much."

Two very blond women entered the room. Both were perfect models of everything Riza's family wanted her to be. Immaculately coifed and coutured, the two did not look pleased to see Riza.

"Who is this, cousin?"

Gracia treated them both to a smirk she had to have copied from Roy. "This is Riza Hawkeye, my maid of honor. She's an old friend of Lt. Colonel Mustang. Riza, these are my cousins, Felicia and Fidelia Isley. They are my two bridesmaids. Another cousin, Meredith, will be the flower girl."

Riza offered them a cool smile. "Pleased to meet you."

The two women wore identical expressions of dismay. Riza sipped her tea. The bridal party was going to be a constant power struggle it seemed. Gracia's need for an ally in this was clear. Without backup of some sort, Gracia would have probably spent most of her time before the wedding in pointless arguments over minor details. And no one needed that just before their wedding.

"Are you finally going to pick out our dresses then?" Fidelia, the blue eyed one, demanded. "You've had your dress for months now."

"I need to see when Riza's free first. Besides, the wedding isn't for another six months. There's plenty of time."

The doorbell rang again, and Gracia's mother soon escorted Roy and Maes into the room. Riza hid a smile in her tea cup at Maes' exuberant greeting of his fiancée. Roy snatched a lemon bar from the tea tray and took the seat next to Riza.

"How are you, Riza?"

"Good. I've been shanghaied in being the maid of honor though." Fidelia and Felicia were being kept occupied by Gracia's mother, so it was safe enough to speak freely for now.

"I'd express my sympathies except I'm rather relieved. You've saved me from having to dance attendance on one of those two."

"Are they as awful as they seem?"

"Worse, they keep thinking that they can drag me to the alter next. Gracia doesn't mention it much, but I know they've been giving her a hard time since the engagement was announced."

The others were settling around them, cutting off any more private conversation. Roy squeezed her hand then served himself a cup of tea.

"I hear you know Miss Hawkeye, Lt. Colonel." Felicia simpered.

Roy gave Riza a warm smile. "We grew up together. Maes is just about the only friend I can claim I've had longer."

Gracia smiled at the two of them. "I'm just glad you introduced the two of us. It's been nice to have someone to discuss the wedding plans with who hasn't heard it all before."

Fidelia and Felicia looked rather nonplussed at how close Riza and Gracia had become. Of course they had only known each other perhaps two days at most, but the cousins didn't know that. The next half hour was rather strained, but once Fidelia and Felicia had left, the four of them got down to business. They had plenty to do, and Riza felt like they were running out of time.

"Don't worry too much about the wedding," Gracia told her. "All you really need to be present for is the dress shopping and fittings, but it does make a good excuse to get you out of the house. I figured that having at least one ongoing excuse would be a good idea since Roy can't whisk you away whenever you need a break."

"Thanks. I probably will need that." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "My family wants to marry me off to some upwardly mobile officer. I've been introduced to several of them lately, but I don't know which one of them it is."

Roy slid his hand into hers. "Over my dead body. I promised your father I would take care of you, and even if I hadn't, I'm not about to let you be sold like a side of meat."

She squeezed his hand. Gracia bit her lip and shared a look a Maes who nodded.

"Let me do some research. They might not legally be able to arrange this without your consent." Maes frowned. "There maybe some loopholes as well."

Riza offered a small smile. "Thank you."

By the time she had to go home, Riza felt like she had known Maes and Gracia for years. It was easy to see why Roy trusted them. Gracia and her mother accompanied her home to arrange a shopping trip as well as lunch later in the week. As an added bonus, Riza found that her grandfather had also arranged to take her out to lunch the following day. Things were finally starting to go her way for a change.

Riza took care with her appearance the next afternoon. Her aunt had been pleased with sudden interest in establishing a social life and keeping her happy gave Riza something of an ally in the future. Not one the caliber of Gracia, but enough of one that she's willing to at least pretend she's interested in being a young lady of society. Her uncle dropped her off at her grandfather's office, and Riza made her way to his office. She found her grandfather and Roy in the middle of a chess game.

With a smirk, she reached over Roy's shoulder and moved his remaining bishop. "Check."

"Is that a subtle hint that you're ready to go?"

She smiled at her grandfather. "Given the fact that I can beat Roy nine times out of ten, I would say yes."

Roy rose from his chair and offered her his arm. "She's right. I should have guessed you learned from an expert."

Her grandfather watched them with a bemused smile. "Well, then. Why don't we go to lunch?"

They ended up at a little café that Roy recommended. The staff was friendly and clearly fond of Roy.

"I come here at least once a week," he explained. "I think they've decided that I'm not eating properly and need some one to look after me. If the owner had her way, I'd eat here for free nearly every day. But the food here is excellent."

Their conversation turned to Roy and Riza's shared childhood as they ordered. They both stuck to the lighter stories. Riza wasn't ready to share the fact that her father hadn't been quite sane most of her life with anyone other Roy. Actually, she wasn't sure if she would ever share that with anyone other than Roy. He had been there for parts of it and understood. Riza wasn't sure anyone else would.

"So, Mustang, are you too going to put your cap in for my granddaughter's hand as well? I would prefer you over any of the other candidates for the position even if you can't beat me at a game of chess yet. Of course, you still would have to deal with the others vying for the position, but given that Riza seems to like you a great deal more than any of the others, I'm not sure they would be a serious obstacle."

Riza knew she was bright red at this point. She couldn't believe the audacity of her grandfather. Roy simply looked floored.

"I'll have to think about that, sir. I think I would have to be sure that your granddaughter was of the same mind about the situation."

Riza felt his hand grope for hers under the table and quietly slid her fingers between his. She also wasn't surprised when her grandfather was called back to the office on business and instructed Roy to bring her back when they were done with lunch. Roy had kept a hold of her hand, relinquishing it only he needed it to eat.  
Neither of them seemed to know what to talk about, so the meal was spent in silence for the most part. Roy recaptured her hand once while they were waiting for their desserts to arrive.

"I won't ask you to marry me, Riza. Not if it isn't something you want. It's something I've thought about, but I was planning on waiting until I had fixed things with the government. It is not a safe thing I do, and I didn't want you hurt because of my actions" He blushed a little. "And I had wanted to this properly. Courting you, I mean."

"Have we ever done anything properly?" She squeezed his hand. "I'm not about to rush into anything, especially marriage, but I too had hopes for us in the future. And your other plans are a little more pressing."

Roy relaxed a little. "You're right as usual. Are you sure you want to be involved, Riza?"

"You need me. We both know that." She smiled. "Besides, I was there too, Roy. I know we need to do this."

"I just don't want you to feel like you missed out on your future because of this."

"I don't have a future without you, Roy."

He didn't say anything, but then he didn't need to. The look in his eyes said it all.

"We should be heading back to the office." He rose from the table. "As much as I'd love to spend the afternoon with you, we'll both be in trouble if we do."

He paid for the meal, and they began a leisurely walk back to Military HQ. Their conversation turned to lighter subjects, and Riza enjoyed the chance to simply laugh and be herself for a change. Roy stopped them about a block away from Military HQ and drew her into the shadows between two shops. His hands came up to cup her face.

"I love you, Riza Hawkeye."

One kiss quickly became two then three. Riza had her fingers tangled in Roy's hair, and she was pressed so close to him that she doubted there was room for air between them.

"I thought," she gasped for air, "that we were going back to Grandfather's office."

"We are." He stole another kiss. "In just a minute."

The noise of a car driving by distracted the two of them enough that they managed to gather some sense of decorum. When they arrived back at the office, no one would recognize them as the passionate young couple from the street. Both behaved with perfect decorum that one would expect from a pair of new acquaintances. Roy walked her to her grandfather's office door.

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Miss Hawkeye. I look forward to seeing you around."

"Likewise, Lt. Colonel Mustang. I hope escorting me to lunch wasn't too much of an inconvenience to you."

"Not at all. Please let General Grumman know I needed to return to my office."

"Of course."

He squeezed her hand then headed down the hall. With a smile, Riza slipped into her grandfather's office.

"I see you're back." He raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you'd care to tell me what the two of you are planning?"

"It's probably best that you don't know, Grandpa. It will save us all some trouble."

He considered her seriously. "I want you to be happy, Riza. I know your uncle's plans won't make you happy, but I don't know if this will."

"I trust Roy, Grandpa. I always have. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I have faith that it will work out."

"If you're certain."

"I am."

"Then I won't interfere. I hope you know what you're doing."

The next few months were surprisingly pleasant. Riza found most of her time spent with Gracia. While they actually did spend some time on the wedding, most of it was simply spent either enjoying themselves or building a network of contacts for Roy outside of the military. That and enjoying themselves with Roy and Maes without the presence of chaperones. Not that they were doing anything inappropriate, but it was always nice to be away from the conventions of society.

Riza had the first inkling of trouble when her aunt stopped trying to get her to go on social calls all the time. It was true that with Gracia's wedding only three months away she was much busier with the wedding details, but that didn't warrant giving up on all social engagements. Then came the afternoon Riza had come home early from a dress fitting. She had found her uncle in the study with the family lawyer. Their conversation had cut off abruptly when she had entered the room. She also found that everything in the study had been locked up for the first time since she had come to live there.

She reported her findings to Roy and Maes, but there wasn't much else she could do. And besides, she did have things to do for the wedding. Gracia had solved the problem of exposing the tattoo by choosing a lovely two piece silk dress for the maid of honor. The real charm of it was the portrait collar top which would conceal the tattoo nicely. It was a departure from the sleeveless taffeta dresses that she had picked out for the other bridesmaids, but Gracia insisted that the maid of honor needed a special dress. Riza's dress was a deep violet color that matched the ribbon accents on the bridesmaids' dresses which were a lighter shade of violet. With the dresses selected, there were measurements and fittings to be done. Not to mention the fact that Gracia was still trying to figure out the right accessories for both herself and the bridesmaids. She had a veil that had been in the family for years, but other than that, she was still undecided about both her hair and jewelry.

When Riza accidentally stumbled upon preliminary marriage contracts, however, she couldn't sit on her hands anymore. There was no mention of names in the contracts, but Riza knew enough that she could guess who they concerned. She managed to sneak one of the contracts out of the house the next she left and turned it over to Maes. He frowned and pulled out a notebook from his pocket.

"Give me about twenty minutes, and I think I can tell you how serious this is."

The four of them had met at a little café near Gracia's house, and Gracia quickly decided they would need food to fortify them. Riza nibbled at her scone while trying not to stare at Maes. Roy had captured her hand early on and was playing with her fingers. Gracia busied herself with sorting through the last details for the wedding invitations.

"I have good news and bad news about this." Maes spoke softly. "The bad news is what they're trying to do is legal, and it will work unless you do something rather drastic, Riza. The good news is that this will take time. If I'm correct, we'll have about four months before anything is finalized. We should be able to come up with something in that time."

"Is there anything we can do now?" Roy asked.

"The only things that I know for sure will negate the contract are religious vows of celibacy and being already married." He paused. "Actually, I'm not sure there really is another way to negate it besides a previously existing marriage. Well, you could become a nun, but I'm not sure an order would accept you given the circumstances. I'll have to do more research."

"There is one solution." Roy's voice was low. He looked her in the eye. "You could marry me now. I know we were going to take this relationship thing as it comes, but I don't think we have that luxury. I mean, if you want to. You don't have to of course, but--"

Riza pressed a finger against his lips. "Roy. Yes, I'll marry you. As long as this is something you want as well, my answer is yes."

Gracia smiled at the pair. At least some good was coming out of this. Maes frowned at his notes. "We can assume that Riza's family will try to stop us if they find out, so we need to arrange a wedding quickly and quietly."

"You said they couldn't make any moves until four months from now?" Gracia asked.

"Nothing overt. They won't be able to announce it until then, and I doubt they'll inform Riza about the arrangement until just before the public announcement."

"Good." Gracia nodded. "That makes things easier. We'll just make it a double wedding."

The others just stared at her. Gracia simply smiled, "Think about it. What better why to keep it quiet? Maes and I can act as your witnesses which means we only have to bring the officiant in on this. Everything can take place at our ceremony, and no one will be the wiser."

"You don't mind?" Riza smiled wistfully. "It's supposed to be your day."

"Let's see, share my wedding day with my friend or deny her the best opportunity to take back control of her own life? Hm, what a hard decision."

"So, it's settled then. The four of us get married on May 1st." Maes announced. He grinned at his best friend. "You have some shopping to do."

"For what? I'm not the one who's the center of attention."

"Rings," Maes smirked. "You two may not be able to be able to wear them now, but you will need them for the wedding and after."

Roy blinked, looking thoughtful. "You're right. Anything in particular you would like, Riza? You're the one who has to wear two of the things after all."

"Idiot! You're not supposed to ask her that."

"Why not? She already knows she's getting a ring, so it's not like it's a surprise."

Giggling, Gracia swatted at the both of them. "Stop that. You two are awful."

Riza just smiled. Truthfully, she was too relieved to really deal with anything else. And she couldn't help the smile that seemed permanent since they decided upon this course of action. She and Roy might have agreed to wait earlier, but there was something about the idea of spending the rest of her life with him that warmed her from the inside out. Roy's eyes met hers across the table, and Riza felt the smile grow.

It was hard keeping her excitement contained when she went home. There was a rather petty part of her that wanted to flaunt the fact that she managed to both get a husband on her own and out wit the family's plans for her. It was just a small part of her though, and Riza knew better than to jeopardize her own plans by revealing them to the family. At least she could pass off some of the excitement as being caught up in Gracia's wedding.

And there was quite a bit to do with that. Between the fittings for the clothes and putting together the wedding favors and half a dozen other tasks, she didn't have much time for other social engagements. The next two months passed by very quickly with all the preparations. Their hardest task had been bringing the officiant around to their side. It had taken Gracia, Riza, and Roy to bring him around.

"You've known me all my life, Kristian. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important."

"I'm sorry, Gracia. I'm just not comfortable with performing a secret wedding ceremony without the families' permission." The officiant set down his teacup. "You seem like a very nice young lady, Miss Hawkeye. I'm sure you can work out your problems with your family."

"Part of the problem is they're not really my family," Riza explained. "Yes, I'm related to them, but until my father died, I had basically no contact with any of them besides my grandfather, and he supports this decision."

"Surely, it is a simple matter of convincing your family to accept your choice."

Riza sighed. "Unfortunately, sir, my family doesn't believe I should have any choice in the matter. That's one of the reasons we want to do this secretly."

"I'm just afraid that your family's disproval is the main reason for you jumping into marriage. I don't want you to regret this a few months later."

The office door opened, admitting Roy. He headed straight for Riza. "Hey."

He took her hands in his, and Riza scooted over, making room for him to sit next to her. They weren't paying attention to the officiant, but Gracia watched him carefully. Roy slid an arm around Riza, drawing her closer. She relaxed against him, and Roy turned to Gracia. "So, how are we doing?"

"Not well I'm afraid. Kristian, this is Roy Mustang. Roy, this is the officiant for my wedding, Kristian Thorne."

Roy nodded. "Pleased to meet you. What's the problem?"

Kristian looked rather surprised by his bluntness. "May I ask how long you've known Miss Hawkeye, Mr. Mustang?"

Roy glanced down at Riza. "Ten years, I think. No, it must have been longer. You were six when we first met."

She nodded. "It's almost thirteen years."

The man blinked. "How did you two meet? I mean, I've heard of Mr. Mustang, and if you don't mind me saying so, you two seem an unlikely pair."

"My father was Roy's teacher. We spent most of our childhood together."

"I see." It was clear the man was having some trouble wrapping his mind around all this. "And your relationship, has it been going on a long while?"

Roy and Riza traded looks again, but it was Riza who answered. "We've cared about each other for years. If you're asking how long have we had romantic feelings for each other, the answer is since I was teenager. At least on my part. We just haven't acted on them until recently."

Roy smiled at her. "I've probably loved you just as long if not longer."

Gracia cleared her throat when it became clear that the couple was drifting off into their own little world. "Well, Kristian, have you made a decision?"

"Yes. I'll act as officiant for you two. I'll need to see your birth certificates for the marriage license, but I think we can manage to slip you two into the ceremony with out any one noticing. I assume Gracia and Maes will be acting as your witnesses?"

Riza nodded, a little stunned by the abrupt change of mind. "Yes."

"Good, that way we can sign both licenses at the same time, and if we need to, you two can take your vows in front of them."

"Thank you." Roy reached out to shake his hand. "It means a lot to us."

With that taken care of, there wasn't much left until the two weeks before the wedding. Gracia had a few last items on her list for her trousseau, and now that Riza was joining her as a bride, albeit secretly, she had a few more things she wanted Riza to have as well. Which meant a number of rather embarrassing shopping trips and the vetoing of some of the more risqué undergarments that Gracia thought would be perfect as well as a search for old, new, borrowed, and blue that could be considered epic. But truthfully, things had settled down.

Of course, one wouldn't be able to tell that a week before the wedding. Gracia's family had descended upon her, and she was slowly going mad. When they collected Riza for the hen party, Gracia was close to coming unglued. It was clear that her cousins' ideas about a proper hen party differed from her own. However, they did have an ally in her Aunt Hope who had come along as an 'adult' chaperone, and Riza had a very simple solution to the problem.

"We let them get very, very drunk, and your Aunt can take them home, we can enjoy ourselves."

It only took two bars to get Felicia and Fidelia well and drunk. Riza took control of the purse for the evening, and they were on their own.

"So what do you want to do?"

Gracia smiled. "I actually did have plans for this. There's a little pub a few streets over."

The Thistle and Rose was a cozy little bar complete with live music. Gracia had clearly been there before given the welcome they were given by the barkeep. They were quickly ensconced in a nice booth with plenty of munchies to snack on, and once the occasion for their visit was found out, the drinks didn't stop flowing. Before she knew, Riza was up on stage with Gracia, belting out love songs and dancing upon the bar. They took a taxi back to Gracia's at a little past three, both of them merrily drunk. Weaving slightly, the two of them made their way up to bed.

Riza woke the next morning, feeling slightly groggy, but for the most part, she was no worse for the night out. Today would be the bridal shower, and she had plenty to do. With the help of Gracia's mother, Riza had put together a party that was sure to stock the young woman's boudoir with plenty for her honeymoon. She and Maes were going to the Cretan seaside, so the party had been themed around the beach.

She spent the morning decorating the parlor with Gracia's mother. By the time they were done, the room had been transformed. The regular furniture had been replaced with beach chairs and posters of beach scenes covered the walls. Seashells were scattered throughout the room, and a picnic lunch had been put together. Riza's gift, a tasteful bikini and sarong in a light green, was carefully wrapped. The phonograph was filled with summer tunes, and the guests would be arriving shortly.

All in all, the shower went well. There were a few tense moments when three of the guests had brought the same gift and when Fidelia and Felicia had nearly caused an altercation over one of the shower games. Afterwards, Gracia and Riza retired to Gracia's room to finish packing the bags for her honeymoon. Gracia collapsed back onto her bed.

"Only six more days."

"Six days, seven hours, and twenty-three minutes actually."

Gracia laughed. "And I thought I was bad. Oh, I have something for you."

She rummaged around in her closet before dragging out a small cedar chest.

"I put this together for you. Well, Maes helped some, but we thought you deserved a trousseau of your own."

"You didn't have to, Gracia. You've already done so much for me."

Her friend just laughed, opening the lid. "Just because you're not having a proper wedding doesn't mean you can't have a proper wedding night. Come see what inside."

Riza knelt beside her friend carefully lifting out the various items. The one side was stocked with an assortment of vanilla candles and a pair of delicate crystal wine glasses with two bottles of wine, ice wine from Northern and a rosé from Western. She also found a pair of porcelain cups for rice wine as well as the rice wine itself and a matching decanter. The rest of the chest was taken up by pale cream colored sheets of soft cotton, and underneath those Riza found delicate lingerie of Xing silk, everything from a nightgown to a corset with garters and stockings and all in a deep burgundy that would bring out her eyes.

"This is just too much, Gracia. You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

Gracia just smiled gently. "There's something more. It's from Roy actually. Well, I should they are from Roy. I'm not sure where they came from, but he dropped them off the other day."

She produced another box from the closet and set it on the bed. Riza lifted the lid, gently pulling back the protective layers of paper; her mouth fell open in shock. "He didn't."

"Riza?"

"Do you know what this is, Gracia?" Her fingers reverently stroked the pristine white silk. "It's the Xing equivalent to a wedding dress. The kimono itself and all the undergarments are white. After the ceremony the bride dons an overcoat. Here."

She drew out the elaborately embroidered robe. It was covered in red and gold birds as well as chrysanthemum flowers. Gracia took it wide eyed. "What else is in there?"

Riza gently poked around in the box. "Sandals, hair ornaments, underthings, basically everything I would need to be a proper Xing bride."

They tucked everything back into the box before putting both the box and the cedar chest back in the closet. Riza perched on the edge of the bed, contemplating the closet. "I don't understand why he went to such trouble."

Gracia just shrugged. "It's Roy. Besides, for all we know he's simply anticipating his family's demands for a proper Xing wedding as well as an Amestrian one. I only met his mother once, but it wouldn't surprise me if she demanded that of you two. The woman's a dragon. Or maybe he just wants you to have a wedding dress of your own. At least he had the good taste to choose firebirds which suit the both of you."

"Is there anything else you need done for today?"

"Nope. We have appointments with the hairstylist and a make-up artist tomorrow as well as one last dress fitting. After that, all that's left is coordinating the details, and Mother and Aunt Hope can handle that. The rehearsal is in five days. Honestly, there's just not much left."

"Good. I'm taking a nap."

"On my bed?"

"Of course. It's quite comfortable."

"Oh really?"

With that, the entire conversation disintegrated into a pillow fight. The next few days were spent in general silliness. Gracia decided that she wanted relive her childhood before her wedding which meant pillow fights, making cookies, staying up late, and random giggle fests. It was probably the closest Riza had ever been to being a normal teenager. The day before the rehearsal dinner, the two of them met up with Roy and Maes in Central's rose garden. Gracia and Maes wandered off for a few private moments, leaving Roy and Riza alone.

"Did Gracia give you the box?" He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

"Yes." Riza paused. "You didn't have to go to all that trouble. And I don't understand why you did."

To her surprise, he flushed. "I have three sisters, you know, and they're all married. Every one of them, at some point or another, had a traditional Xing wedding at the shrine where my father married my mother. It'll be our turn next. I don't know when that will be, but I wanted to be prepared."

They continued their walk in silence, neither feeling the need to talk. The two of them quickly changed direction after discovering Gracia and Maes making out in a shady bower. Finding their own out of the way corner, Riza finally asked the question that had been bothering her.

"What are we going to do once we're married?"

Roy smiled. "Well, I just found out I'm being transferred to Eastern HQ and will be given my own team. I was hoping that you would be willing to come with me. Maes' has been given a position with the investigations department here in Central, and I'd be on my own until I can put together a team that I can trust. I don't know what you want to do though. I mean, Gracia is perfectly happy simply being a housewife and our link with the medical world, but I know you well enough to know that that probably wouldn't be enough for you."

"I don't know what I want to do. The military was a good fit for me. I not sure what else I would be good at." She looked up at him. "I do want to come with you though. I meant what I said, Roy. I don't have a future without you."

He was kissing her again. Riza slid her arms about his neck, fingers running through his hair. It was easy to forget everything but the feel of him against her. Roy pulled away, tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Two more days," she heard him whisper. "Two more days and you're all mine."

The rehearsal dinner could not be called an unmitigated disaster. However, it was close. Fidelia had thrown a tantrum over which if the groomsmen was escorting her, and that had set Felicity off. The fathers of the bride and groom had gotten into a fight over politics. The mother of the bride and the aunt of the groom had started a tiff about the color of the bridesmaids' gown being lavender and purple instead of pink. Riza had the common sense to keep Gracia out of the line of fire.

In fact, she had turned the whole thing into a game, predicting who would be the next person to loose their cool. Gracia had balked at first, but when she had pointed out that if everyone got all this nonsense out of their systems now, there would be little chance of it affecting the actual wedding. It hadn't taken long for Roy and Maes to join them. The four of them held fort at the head of the table passing around a bottle of wine, providing commentary on the rest of the wedding party.

Maes and Gracia said the goodbyes at the end of the meal. They wouldn't see each other again until the ceremony began. Riza and Gracia would stay at the Isley residence while Roy and Maes would bunk at the Hughes' home. The girls settled in Gracia's room with mugs of hot chocolate.

"You know, we should be getting some sleep."

Gracia made a negligent wave. "I'll sleep. I just want to enjoy a final few moments of my last night as Gracia Isley. Tomorrow night I'll be Gracia Hughes."

"You'll be too tired to enjoy tomorrow night if you don't get some sleep now."

Gracia stuck her tongue out. "Meanie."

"You'll thank me tomorrow night."

Despite her advice, Riza herself wasn't ready for sleep. Tomorrow would change everything. Her family would no longer have any claim over her, and she would be free to lead a life of her own. Well, a life with Roy, and she wasn't objecting to that. She was excited, and she was nervous, and she really wanted it to be tomorrow. She wasn't normally this impatient, but she wanted to be married.

On a whim, Riza lifted her mug. "To the brides."

Gracia clinked mugs with her. "To the brides."

Riza woke early the next morning. Gracia had the luxury of sleeping in, but she did not. There was plenty to get done before the ceremony itself, and Riza wanted to have the time necessary if an emergency came up. After a shower, she woke Fidelia and Felicia for breakfast. Gracia's mother had gone out of her way to create a fabulous breakfast. Once Riza had finished her own meal, she loaded a tray with waffles, orange juice, fresh fruit, sausage, and scrambled eggs. Fidelia and Felicia were fighting over who got the shower first, and it was easy enough to slip back into Gracia's room.

"Good morning, Gracia. Your breakfast is ready."

The other woman blinked sleepily at her. "Is all that for me?"

"Apparently so. Your mother seems to think that we won't have much of chance to eat later today with the amount of breakfast she's producing."

"Not again." Gracia sighed. "I guess I have to eat at least half of it or she'll complain. What's next after breakfast?"

Riza smiled. "A shower for you. Once you're done, we'll head over to the wedding chapel. We have hair and make-up appointments shortly after we arrive. Your mother will take care of making sure the ushers and everything else are ready while we get you ready."

"Please tell me you have something for Fidelia and Felicia to do while we wait. I'm fairly certain they could give me seconds thoughts."

"Don't worry," Riza laughed. "Your mother plans to keep them busy. You'll only have to put up with them for an hour while I get my hair and make-up done. There's two hours afterwards for me to undo any damage they've caused. Besides, I have the old, new, borrowed, and blue."

"You have one set," Gracia corrected. "I'm not the only one who needs them today."

It didn't take Gracia long to get ready, and then they were off to the chapel. Riza settled Gracia in the bride's suite with a number of romance novels. Hopefully, Gracia's mother could keep Felicia and Fidelia under control. Thankfully, Gracia had decided on simplicity for her bridesmaids. There was very little make-up to apply, and the hair stylist simply pulled her hair back from her face and curled the ends slightly. With that done, she was free to rescue Gracia from her cousins.

The look Gracia shot her as she entered the bride's suite was pure desperation.

"Fidelia, Felicia, the hair stylist is ready for you two."

The other two women disappeared quickly. Riza smiled. "So, how much mental anguish do I have to relieve before the wedding?"

There was a sigh. "It wasn't that bad. I just want to get married."

"Just a few more hours." Riza grinned. "Then you'll be Gracia Hughes. Until then, we'll just have to make do with chocolate."

"You have chocolate?"

"It was either chocolate or alcohol." She shrugged. "Chocolate doesn't cause hangovers."

Gracia smiled. "Bring on the chocolate then."

They spent the next hour sharing a box of chocolates and stories about the boys. Gracia knew just about every antic Roy and Maes had ever gotten themselves into. Riza herself had a store of tales about her father's alchemy student, most of which did not turn out favorably for Roy.

"Oh, that reminds me." Gracia produced a box from her bag. "I know we're going to do my old, new, borrowed, and blue at the bridesmaids' tea, but I wanted you have yours when you get dressed."

"Gracia--"

"Oh no, you don't. Take the box, Riza. It's my special day, and you have to do what I want."

She bit back her protests and took the box. Inside was first a velvet jewelry case, followed by a bottle of perfume, pale blue lingerie, and a grey ring box. Gracia smiled at her confusion.

"The sandalwood perfume is old, and the ring is new. It's from Roy, by the way. The pearls are my grandmother's. She lent them to me for the wedding, but they don't go with my dress, and I wanted them still to be in the wedding. The lingerie is new of course."

Riza just shook her head and gave Gracia a hug. "Thank you so much, Gracia. For everything."

The other woman clearly understood the unspoken sentiment. "That's what friends are for, dear heart. Besides, you make Roy happy. That's definitely worth it."

Gracia's mother popped her head in the room. "They're bringing the tea service in. We'll start the bridesmaid tea in ten minutes, and then it'll be time to get dressed and for Gracia's make-up and hair appointment."

"We'll be ready," Riza assured her.

"Wonderful."

The tea went fairly well. The task of providing Gracia with her old, new, barrowed, blue had been divvied up between the three attendants and her mother. Her mother had provided the old, amethyst earrings that had been in the family for seven generations. Fidelia had brought the barrowed with a bottle of delicate lily of the valley perfume. Felicia's blue, however, wasn't quite what anyone expected, a bright blue g-string. Gracia had blinked, trying to come up some sort of response that wasn't abject horror. Riza had silently thanked the powers that be that she had come armed with extra items in case someone forgot theirs. Riza herself had brought a delicate garter of pale green silk and ivory lace that the rest of the Gracia's lingerie as her something new.

Riza shooed everyone out as the hairdresser and the make-up artist arrived to start on Gracia. Retrieving her purse, Riza removed a tissue wrapped package.

"I'll trade you a pair of blue underwear for this?"

Gracia looked near tears. "Oh thank you. I was half afraid I would have to wear the dreadful thing."

Pressing the package into her friend's hands, Riza smiled. "Well, this should take care of your something blue. You can thank Roy. He thought it would suit you."

Tearing away the tissue, Gracia revealed a simple gold circlet, pearls and delicate gold wild flowers with pale blue stones as their centers. Riza discreetly disappeared the g-string into her purse; she could always destroy it later.

"I'm going to go get dressed, check on the boys, and meet the flower delivery. I'll be back in about an hour or so to help you with the finishing touches."

It didn't take her long to get dressed. The violet dress was ankle length and impeccably tailored. The best part of it was the double breasted jacket. Its portrait collar covered the top of the array nicely without looking fussy. The pearls from Gracia were gorgeous. The necklace was a simple collar was a triple strand of pearls twined together. The earrings matched, three pearls strong on a gold chain. The ring from Roy didn't quite match, a slender white gold band set with a sapphire flanked with a pair of diamonds. Still it looked lovely on her right hand.

The boys were in the midst of a game of war when she peeked in on them. Maes protested that she and Roy shouldn't be seeing each other before the wedding, but he was overruled by them both. Neither of them had changed into their dress uniforms yet.

"You two are all set?" she asked. "You have the rings and know your vows?"

Roy grinned and held up a ring box. "All safe in here. And, yes, I checked my pockets for holes."

She smiled. "Good. You two should be getting dressed soon. I'm meeting the flower delivery and then helping Gracia with the final details."

"Here," Roy pressed a pair of rings into her hand. Riza slipped them onto her thumbs for safe keeping. "Those are Maes' and mine. You'll need them for the ceremony."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

That just left her with the flowers to pick up. The florist was supposed be bringing both the bouquets and the flowers for the bridesmaids' hair as well as the flower girl's petals and garland. On her way, Riza picked up an assistant in the form of Gracia's six year old cousin, Meredith, who was the flower girl. The little brunette girl was very sweet and much better behaved than her older cousins. She solemnly informed Riza that she was going to help her with the flowers "'cause Licia and Delia would probably break them'. Riza privately agreed, and the two of them were soon loaded down with bouquets and baskets of flowers. Gracia's mother then whisked the florist away to make sure everything was ready for the reception and left Riza and Meredith to distribute the flowers.

Riza left Meredith and her roses in the capable hands of her mother before searching for Fidelia and Felicia. It took another twenty minutes to get the white orchids secured the cousins' updos, but Riza had to admit they looked stunning with the sleeveless lavender gowns. The sweet peas in their bouquets matched the dresses, and the orchids would tie in with everyone else who was carrying white flowers. With those two and Meredith set, it was time for Gracia's final details and then the wedding could start.

It was probably a good thing that she got back to Gracia when she did. The other woman was near tears when Riza arrived baring flowers.

"Gracia? What's wrong?"

"What if I'm making a mistake? What if Maes doesn't love me as much as I love him? Maybe we aren't going to work out."

She took her friend's hands in her own. "Do you love him, Gracia?"

"Yes."

Riza smiled. "Maes loves you too. He proposed to you thirteen times after all. Admittedly, you were three the first time, but he's never asked anyone else even once. You are going to marry him in less than thirty minutes, and you two are going to be very happy."

Gracia nodded slowly. "You're right."

"Of course, I am. Now, let's get you ready to walk down the aisle."

Gracia beamed, and Riza pulled her dress out of the closet. Gracia's dress was a simple white ball gown with spaghetti straps and an embroidered lace bodice. The silk and tulle confection matched her spring theme, and with the fingertip veil and blusher in place, Riza couldn't think of a prettier bride. Her short hair had been teased into ringlets and pinned up to stay out of her face and provided a perfect platform for the tiara. A delicate necklace of gold, amethyst, and peridot encircled her neck matching the earrings from her mother. Riza handed her the bouquet of hydrangeas and calla lilies.

"Ready?"

Gracia nodded.

"Good. The ceremony starts in about ten minutes." Riza picked up her own bouquet, lily of the valley and anemones.

They could hear the prelude finishing up as they took their places. Riza took her place in the processional order and turned slightly to wink at Gracia. The strains of Mussorgsky's Promenade began, and Meredith began making her way down the aisle. Soon it was her turn. Riza locked eyes with Roy as she marched down the aisle. To tell the truth, she wasn't really paying attention to much else once the ceremony started.

Riza took Gracia's bouquet as it came time for the vows.

The officiant smiled at them. "Maes Daffydd Hughes, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Gracia Mererid Isley, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Maes held Gracia's hands in his own as he began his vows. "Gracia, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, when life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort. I promise to cherish you, and to always hold you in highest regard. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life."

Gracia repeated the words and then it came time for the rings.

"Do you have tokens of these vows you have made?"

"We do."

Riza slipped Maes' ring into Gracia's hand.

"Please repeat after me. This ring I give thee in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

Gracia slid the ring onto Maes' hand. "Maes, this ring I give thee in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

Beaming, Maes repeated the action. "Gracia, this ring I give thee in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

"By the authority vested in me by the country of Amestris, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Riza held her breath as Maes gently lifted the veil and kissed his wife. Roy winked at her. The officiant waited until the couple had disengaged from the kiss before announcing. "I am pleased to present Maes and Gracia Hughes."

Roy offered her his arm as they made their way back down the aisle in Maes and Gracia's wake. The quartet quickly disappeared into the officiant's office. He joined them soon after.

"All right. We'll do a quick ceremony, sign all the forms, and you'll be on your way."

Roy and Riza stood in front of him with Maes and Gracia on either side.

"Roy Syaoran Mustang, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Riza Aderyn Hawkeye, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

The officiant nodded. "Will you please join hands and recite your vows."

"I, Roy, take thee, Riza, to be my wife, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love."

Riza bit her lip, trying to keep back tears. "I, Riza, take thee, Roy, to be my husband, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love."

"Do you have tokens of these vows you have made?"

"We do."

Riza slipped Roy's ring off her thumb. "Roy, this ring I give thee in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

His eyes were suspiciously bright as she put the ring on his finger. "Riza, this ring I give thee in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

"By the authority vested in me by the country of Amestris, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

And then she was in Roy's arms, her fingers buried in his hair as they kissed. Maes poked Roy in the shoulder after a minute or so.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we do have a reception to get to."

Roy sighed and kissed her forehead. It took them less than five minutes to get everything signed. Riza slipped her hand in Roy's, and the four of them made their way out to the car waiting for them. It was a quick drive over to the reception hall. Riza quickly rearranged Gracia's dress and removed the veil, and the new couple made their triumphant entrance, Riza and Roy a few steps behind.

Maes and Gracia dealt with the receiving line while Riza made sure everything was set for the toasts and the first dance. Once the couple was introduced, everyone took their seats for the toasts. Both Maes and Gracia's fathers gave long winded speeches, and then Roy winked at her as he stood.

"I've known Maes most of my life. And I've known that he's been in love with Gracia about that long as well. There wasn't ever much doubt that what you two share is the real thing, even if it did take thirteen proposals for Gracia to say yes. Of course, Maes started asking when she was three, so he was ahead of things at the time." Roy grinned. "I know you two are going are going to be happy. If there's anything in this world that I can believe in it's that you two will be in love for the rest of your lives."

With the toasts finished, they finally got to eat. Riza was rather thankful she was seated with the rest of the bridal party rather than her family. She had feeling that the wedding was giving them ideas. She could just hear her aunt now. "Doesn't helping with the wedding make you think about marriage, Riza?"

At least, that was one headache she wouldn't have. Her aunt couldn't plan a circus of a wedding for her if she was already married. And thankfully, her duties as maid of honor would keep her away from her family until it was time to leave. With dinner finished it was time for Maes and Gracia to take the dance floor. The strains of 'Eternity' began to play, and Riza rest her head on Roy's shoulder as they watched their friends sway to the music.

"You realize they're conspiring for us to catch the bouquet and garter, so we can have a dance to ourselves later."

She giggled. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

It was a pleasant evening. They danced and ate cake. Maes practically beaned Roy in the head with garter while Riza had to execute some fancy footwork to land the bouquet. And of course, there was the public spectacle of putting the garter on Riza. Her family wasn't entirely thrilled about that, but Riza couldn't care less. Finally, the four of them could make their exit. Roy had made arrangements for a hotel room for Maes and Gracia before their train ride the next morning. Technically, the couples should have gone their separate ways there. However, Maes, with a roguish grin, produced an envelope.

"These are for you two, a room for tonight and tickets to Eastern for tomorrow as well as reservations at a bed and breakfast there. We thought you two might want to spend a week or so in Eastern scouting out your future home."

Roy looked flabbergasted, and Riza hugged both Maes and Gracia.

"Thank you."

Gracia smiled. "Your grandfather had all your things packed up. There's a suitcase in your room, and your trunks are at Roy's apartment. Maes took care of packing Roy's things."

Maes winked at them. "Have a nice honeymoon you two. Don't do anything we wouldn't."

Riza grinned at her husband, dangling the keys in front of him. "Shall we go see our room?"

It wasn't the honeymoon suite, but their room boasted an elegant four posted bed and a view. Shucking off her heels, Riza flexed her toes with a sigh. She sat back on the bed. "I should shoot whoever invented heels."

Roy captured one of her feet. "Why wear them then?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You clearly don't know much about ladies' fashion."

He kissed her instep. "I could give you a foot massage."

Giggling, Riza pulled her foot free. She reached for his hands, pulling Roy down for a kiss. One kiss became two which became four which became eight. Her lips slipped down to his pulse, and she thanked everything she believed in that he was alive and here with her. That he hadn't died in the desert. It wasn't until she slid off the bed to unfasten the buttons on her top that something changed. She turned to take off the jacket and drape it over one of the chairs.

Roy hugged her from behind and pressed a kiss to the top of the tattoo where it showed at the back of her neck, like he had when she had first shown him the array. "Are you sure about this, Riza? We don't have to do this."

She turned, pulling him into a heated kiss. When she finally let him breath, she meet his eyes. "Do I seem uncertain to you?"

Roy shook his head, kissing her again. Her arms slid around him, and Riza drew him down with her onto the bed.

She woke once in the middle of the night, feeling him shake with nightmares beside her. Riza shifted towards him and gently brushed the hair from his eyes. "Roy? Roy, wake up. I'm here."

Dark eyes snapped open. "Riza?"

She let him pull her into his arms, holding her close. "I'm here, Roy."

He buried his face in her hair, and she held onto him until they both succumbed to sleep once again.

* * *

They stood on the train platform in the early morning light, hands entwined. Roy smiled at her.

"Ready?"

She nodded. They still had a long ways to go before they reached their goals, but they were on the same road now, and that was a good start.

* * *

Theme: The Road Home


	25. The Things He Knows

Author's Note: I don't own FMA or its characters.**  
**

* * *

**The Things He Knows**

He watches her from his seat behind his desk. Hawkeye is as efficient as ever, doing most of the work of running the office for him. As usual she appears to have stepped right out of a recruiting poster. Everything neat and in its place, her uniform and hair immaculate. Hawkeye looked like the image she projected to everyone: the competent, efficient subordinate who put up with no nonsense what so ever. Roy knew that most people couldn't see what a man like him would see in her. But then, they didn't know what he did.

They didn't know that the long scar on the heel of her hand was from burning it while making dinner when she was fourteen. They didn't know that when she got sun burnt, freckles dotted her shoulders or that mash potatoes made her sneeze for some unknown reason. They didn't know that Riza absolutely hated Brussels sprouts and was addicted to lemon drops. They didn't know she had lost her mother when she was three, and that her father had loved his research more than his daughter.

There were many things about Hawkeye that other people didn't know. Just as there were a number of things about his relationship with her that they didn't know. Many of them were little things. Like the fact that when they spent the night together, Riza preferred to sleep on top of him, and she had a tendency to steal covers. Or how she was very ticklish but only on her left side. She preferred tea to coffee except in the middle of winter when she insisted on hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream or in the midst of autumn when spiced cider was her drink.

There were things that he would prefer not to know, but if someone had to, it would only be him. Things like the knowledge that her own father used her as notebook paper to ensure his research survived or the fact that he knew every scar on her body by heart. Other things were less tragic to know but instead rather embarrassing. Like the fact Roy knows exactly when Riza got her first period. He's still grateful he had three older sisters or he probably would have been just as upset and confused as she had been. He had been completely mortified though.

Roy's favorite knowledge though was the little things that told him he was in love with her. Like the fact that he knew she liked lemon tea with three sugars and honey, no cream. Or that tulips and calla lilies were her favorite flowers. Riza kept three matches tucked inside her hairclip, and she kept an extra pair of his gloves in her purse. Roy knew that the only person who could beat Riza at chess was her grandfather. He knows that she still has nightmares about Ishbal and that she has a weakness for romance novels. He knows how to read between her official sounding words to find her real meaning. There were so many little details he knew about her. Roy doubts that anyone knows her as well as he does.

And he knows that if he doesn't get back to his paperwork, she's going to shoot at him.


	26. Aftermath

Author's note: I do not own FMA or its characters. Set directly after chapter 95.

* * *

**Aftermath**

After it was all over, once the adrenaline had faded and he had time to think, Roy realized what he had nearly made her do. He buried his head in his hands. He had been in a rage. Envy had killed Maes, and he had tried to kill Riza. All he could see was that creature's death. She had saved him from himself again. She and Fullmetal.

Arms wrapped around him, and Roy found himself pulled against her chest. He collapsed into her embrace. Riza didn't say anything, but she rest her cheek on the top of his head, and her arms held him tight. They didn't really need words anyway. She didn't need to speak for him to know she was worried for him, afraid, and sad, and that she forgave him. He didn't need to speak for her to know that he felt guilty, sad, and angry all at once, and that he needed her. She hadn't lost him to all this; he hadn't lost himself. She had saved him once again and led him back to where he needed to be. She hadn't needed to fire her gun.

They held onto one another, trying to take some comfort.


	27. Some Familiar Faces

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is slightly AU and set after the movie. This was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Some Familiar Faces**

Ed sighed as he and Alphonse got off the train. They had finally arrived at Oxford. Hopefully, they would be able to find some clues here that would lead them home. Ed sighed. He was happy to have his brother with him; that was true, but he also felt guilty for leaving Winry behind. He missed her more than he was willing to admit. He was hoping that Oxford's libraries would provide a new starting place for their research. They had run dry in Germany, and Ed didn't like the looks of the political situation there very much either. So now they had set up shop in England. Oxford held the promise of new information.

He and Alphonse lugged their things to the little inn they would be staying at. It was cozy little place. Ed slumped on his bed. This couldn't be another dead end. He'd had too many disappointments lately. But investigating the libraries at Oxford would have to wait to until tomorrow. It was too late to start tonight, and he was hungry. Time to see what was for dinner.

The next morning he and Al headed over to the university. They had to sit through the whole rigmarole of having the credentials checked and getting their permissions to use all of the libraries on campus for research. When that was finally over, Ed began the trudge over to the Bodleian Library. They had almost reached the entrance when a young woman caught Ed's attention.

"Roy!"

The blond waved as she dashed for the library entrance. A dark haired man paused. Edward blinked. He had to be seeing things. The man enfolded the woman into his arms. They could be Mustang and Hawkeye's twins. The man kissed the top her of head.

"I thought you were still in Wales for the holiday, Lizzy."

"I just got back this morning, but I wanted to catch you before you got too engrossed in your research."

"Elizabeth?"

She sighed. "Things aren't going well back home. I may have to leave early this term. I don't think Father is going to be able to manage on his own much longer, and we both know he won't accept any help from Grandfather."

"That's not fair. It could set you back a year in getting your degree. You've worked so hard for this," he trailed out as he noticed Ed's attention. "Can I help you?"

Ed shook his head to clear it and to tamp down his normal response. "Sorry. You two just remind me of some people from home."

The man smiled and held out a hand. "Roy Friesian and this is Elizabeth Falconer. You look a little young to be starting university already."

He bristled but managed a polite response. "Edward Elric. I'm actually working on a special research project. This is my brother, Alphonse."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Good for you. Ignore Roy. He tends to forget that he's not the only one who was singled out for advanced studies at an early age."

Ed laughed, and Al smiled. They chatted with Friesian and Falconer for a little while longer before going their separate ways in the library. Edward couldn't help the grin on his face. He had always known there was something going on between Mustang and Hawkeye, and their doubles had just proved it. Now he just had get home so he could get some evidence and collect those fifty dollars from Havoc.

* * *

Theme: Road Trip


	28. Rainy Days

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters.

* * *

**Rainy Days**

"How was your day off, Lieutenant?"

Riza smiled at the bespectacled young man. "It was quite nice, Fuery."

Havoc took a drag on his cigarette. "So, tell us, Hawkeye, what do you do on your days off?"

She smiled. "I spent the day with a book."

Ignoring the looks of disbelief, she went about her morning routine in a good mood. She had spent the day with a book. That just wasn't all she had spent it with.

* * *

She had slipped into his apartment under the cover of a thunderstorm. Riza stood in the rain, fumbling with the spare key until the door opened under her fingers, and Roy was kissing her despite the rain. He pulled her inside, locking the door behind them. Her bag was discarded by the door. It wasn't often that they both had time off at the same time, and the couple had made plans to take advantage of the rare occurrence.

Riza soon found herself divested of her wet clothes and tucked in Roy's bed with his warm body to help her stave off a chill. Later they made a late night meal out of apples, crackers, and cheese, eating at the kitchen table. Roy only wore pants as he fixed tea for them both, and the shirt of his she'd borrowed was too big for her frame.

They slept in the next morning, enjoying the luxury of a shared bed. Riza woke the next morning to the pleasant aroma of coffee and waffles drifting in the air and the sound of rain on the roof. Not bothering to actually get dressed, Riza slipped Roy's shirt on once again and padded towards the kitchen. She crept up behind Roy, who was busy at the stove, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Good morning."

Roy turned slightly so he could kiss her properly. "Morning. Breakfast is almost ready."

The newspaper was shared over breakfast. When the meal was over, and the dishes had been washed (and the resulting water fight cleaned up), Roy coaxed her back into bed. The rest of the morning was spent between the sheets. In the space between kisses and other things, Riza rest in his arms, listening to Roy read _Pride and Prejudice_ aloud. His voice was warm and soothing, and the book was a favorite of hers. The outside world faded away behind a curtain of rain and Roy's voice.

Days like these were her favorites. These were days where they could just simply be without the worries of their lives intruding. These were the days she held onto when things were bleak. They sustained her through so much of what they did. Roy nuzzled at her neck.

"Hungry, love?"

"What do you have in mind?"

He set the book aside rolling on top of her. They skipped lunch.

The book was finished much later. Riza actually dressed in real clothing, so as not to get distracted, to make dinner. It didn't take her long to get curry started, and Roy soon joined her, helping chop with the meat and vegetables. They worked easily with each other, years of familiarity eliminating the need for unnecessary conversation. It was the things like this that made these days so special.

While the food simmered on the stove, Roy fiddled with the radio before finally settling on a jazz station. He swept her into his arms, and they danced around the kitchen. At least, until Riza realized that their food might burn. Roy provided chocolate mousse and strawberries for dessert.

They went to bed early, intent on spending the last few hours they had together well. Riza didn't really sleep much, but it was worth it. And when she did sleep, it was within the circle of her love's arms, the rain proving a soft lullaby. It was with regret and warm kisses that she slipped away slightly after the dawn.

* * *

Riza set to work with a content smile and fond memories. Roy was late, but she had expected that. She had worn him out, poor dear. Besides, she could let him get away with tardiness once or twice a year.

* * *

Theme: Kiss in the Rain


	29. Come In From the Rain

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters.

* * *

**Come In From the Rain**

It was a dreary, rainy, grey day. Riza puttered around the kitchen in no hurry. Saturdays like these where she had little to do besides routine housework and grocery shopping were rare. She enjoyed their peace and quietness. Hayate was napping. The puppy had been worn out by their trip to the market and back. That left her alone with her thoughts which right now were centered on what to fix for dinner. Riza was by no means an incredibly talented cook, but she could manage the basics and enjoyed cooking when she actually had the time for it.

She had finally settled on making soup and one of her favorite bread dishes from her childhood. Both were best served warm and were good on a gloomy day like today. They were comfort food, and that sounded good to her. The kettle whistled, and Riza began fixing herself a pot of tea when there was a knock at the door. With a frown, she went to answer it. She wasn't expecting any visitors this evening.

On the other side of the door Riza found a dripping wet Roy Mustang. She sighed.

"Stay there. I'll get a towel.

Riza didn't know what had brought him here tonight. They had no plans to meet up this weekend. But whatever had brought him here, she wasn't going to let him go out in the rain again. Once she was sure he wouldn't drip all over the floor, Riza led him into the apartment. Roy was silent through out it call. He didn't need to speak though. She knew him well enough to hear him without words. Something had shaken Roy, and he had come to her for comfort.

She shooed him into the shower and fetched some clothes of his that she had for him to change into. Riza wasn't about risk him getting sick; she didn't even want to think of what the office would look like if that happened. Besides, Roy was not a good patient, and she would prefer to spend their time alone together in other ways than nursing him back to health. With Roy taken care of, Riza returned to the kitchen to check on dinner and to fix Roy a cup of tea as well.

He padded up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Something smells good." He pressed a kiss to her neck.

"Dinner won't be ready for another ten minutes." She handed him the cup of tea. "Go set the table."

Roy stole a kiss before collecting the dishes from her cabinets. They worked together in companionable silence. Riza truthfully loved moments like these. Simple, domestic, normality that they so seldom had a chance to share. Roy served them both soup while Riza pulled the bread from the oven. She smiled when she saw that the cheese on top had turned a golden brown color. Perfect. This had always been one of her favorite meals as a child. Of course, it had also been one of the few things she could cook herself perfectly well.

They discussed any number of random topics over dinner, all of them lighthearted. The food left Riza feeling warm and content. It was simple but filling, and its warmth banished the some of the gloom brought by the weather outside. Afterwards, she and Roy curled up together on her couch under an old quilt. Riza was content to simply rest in Roy's arms. He had not spoken of what had brought him here tonight at all, but in truth it really didn't matter much. Whatever the issue had been, in the time he'd been here in her apartment, Roy had relaxed and found whatever comfort he had needed. Riza let out a soft sigh, and Roy dropped a kiss on the top of her head. It continued to rain outside, but here they were warm, safe, and happy. It was the best way to spend a rainy night: together.

* * *

Theme: In the Rain; Disheveled


	30. One Sweet Love

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and set in the future.

* * *

**One Sweet Love**

Riza sighed and shut her book. She should really be heading home to do her assignments. As much as she liked to spend time in this little café, it wasn't the most conducive place for actually getting work done. Reading through course materials was one thing, but to actually get a paper written, Riza needed more than just a comfortable chair and a cup of tea. Music helped for one thing as did having a well stocked cupboard of snack food.

The young university student sighed again. It wasn't that she didn't like school, but this term had highlighted a number of things to her that she hadn't thought about before. In the past six months, all of her friends had either gotten married or gotten into serious relationships. And Riza was still alone. She had gone from sharing her apartment with three other women to having it to herself. Riza liked solitude, but she also missed the company. She thought twice anymore as well about calling up her friends to get together for a movie night or to go out for shopping and dinner.

She gathered up her things and her purse and headed for the door. She would like to fall in love at some point, but she had never met someone who she felt would accept her as just Riza. Most men fixated on the fact that her great-grandmother had been the daughter of the hero Brigadier General Maes Hughes. They never even bothered to really get to know her. Even so many years later, her great-great-grandfather was considered to be quite a hero. Her own namesake was more of a footnote in history outside of the family than anything else.

She had just gotten out the door and headed down the street when the call came.

"Miss? Wait!"

She turned to find a dark haired man chasing after her. He held out a book.

"You left this at your table," he smiled.

"Thank you."

She felt a jolt of electricity when their fingers brushed. She tucked the book under her arm before looking back up at him. He'd stuck his hands in his pockets, but he hadn't left yet.

"I'm Roy."

"Riza."

"Do you like _Emma_? I always thought it was one of Austen's weaker works."

Riza blinked. She hadn't expected him to strike up a conversation about literature, but her response slipped out.

"Oh, I agree. _Northanger Abbey_ and _Mansfield Park_ are my personal favorites, though _Pride and Prejudice_ is probably her best work quality wise. But we're covering all of her books for class."

"Lit major?" Roy asked.

Riza shook her head. "Minor. I'm a history major. What about you?"

He smiled. "Poli-sci major and history minor with an odd smattering of lit classes. You must be taking Romance Lit with Professor Burns. I wanted to take it as well, but it conflicted with on of my required courses. How is it so far?"

They chatted about her class for at least another five minutes before Riza remembered that she really did need to go home and get her paper done. Even so, she was a little reluctant to say goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you, Roy."

"You too. I'll see you around campus maybe."

She headed back to her apartment, feeling a little better about things. Riza had enjoyed her brief chat with Roy, and it really was too bad he wasn't in the class with her. She had a feeling he would have some interesting opinions for some of the discussions, and it really would be nice to have more than just two guys in the class. From Riza's point of view, having a minority of guys meant that, for the most part, their opinions didn't get heard. There were a number of things about the books they were reading that Riza would like to have a man's perspective on.

Roy popped up her thoughts quite a bit over the weekend and on into the next day which was surprising since Riza had only really talked to him for ten minutes. Twenty minutes at the most. That really wasn't enough time to get to know someone. Besides, she didn't think they'd meet again. After all, she had gotten through her first two years of university without ever meeting the man.

So when she ran into him in the library, she was startled, especially since she had literally run into him. In her own defense, Riza had an armful of books that had been blocking her line of sight. She had sidestepped to avoid being trampled by a pair of football players and smacked right into the man. He'd been very nice about it. Roy had steadied her then helped her gather up the stalk of books with a grin.

"So we meet again. Are you professors trying to cause you back injuries?"

Riza laughed at that. It was rather ridiculous just how many books she needed for this assignment.

"Yes, I'm sure they get a kick back from the chiropractors for every paper that requires at least ten sources or more."

"Oh, I'm sure." He had appropriate about half of her books. "Do you have a study carrel or were you taking these downstairs for check out?"

"I've got a study carrel. I was just dropping these off then running down to the café to grab cup of tea before getting back to work."

"Let me give you hand then."

Roy got her talking about her assignment, and before she knew it, Riza found herself letting him buy her a cup of tea before they parted company. And to her surprise, Riza found this the start to a pattern. At least every week she would run into Roy somewhere around campus, and they would spend fifteen to forty-five minutes chatting. It was rather nice actually. Riza found that she really enjoyed Roy's company. He didn't seem to care about the fact that she was related to a historically famous person. In fact, Roy seemed more interested in her mind and personality than just about any man she had met in the last few years.

She liked spending time with him, which was something of a surprise to her. Riza had never really been that comfortable just hanging out with guys. There were a few exceptions to that rule, but for the most part, she spent her free time alone or with her few close girl friends. Riza hated to admit it, but she had only ever been on three dates, and she wasn't sure if what was developing between herself and Roy was a friendship or romance. And Roy really wasn't helping with that. He had never really given her much in the way of signals either way.

Nearly two months after first meeting Roy, Riza found him waiting outside her last class of the week. He was armed with a tall cup of her favorite tea. He presented it to her with a smile and then ran a hand through his hair.

"So, I really enjoy talking with you, and I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight. As in a date, I mean. If you don't that's okay, and I'll still want to be your friend, but--"

Riza cut him off with a kiss on his cheek. "Dinner sounds lovely."

Roy grinned and slipped his hand into hers. "Great."

More than ever, Riza was glad she had left that book in the coffee shop.

* * *

Theme: Cafe


	31. Bus Stop

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and set in the future.

* * *

**Bus Stop**

The first time he saw her was in the pouring rain by his regular bus stop. Roy had been having one hell of a day. It had started badly with him oversleeping and had just gone downhill from there. By the time he was heading home from work, he hadn't thought that things could get worse. And then it started pouring on him. Of course, he didn't have an umbrella with him. By the time he reached the bus stop, he was drenched.

There was no shelter from the rain at the bus stop unfortunately. But there had been a blond woman with an umbrella. Their eyes had met, and she had lifted her umbrella in invitation. She hadn't tried to start a conversation which was just as well really. They had stood under the umbrella for nearly fifteen minutes before the bus arrived. Roy couldn't remember ever seeing her before, either on the bus or at this bus stop, but he wasn't going to question his luck. He thanked her as he got on the bus and dismissed the incident from his mind.

Or tried to at least. Roy soon found that the blond woman was haunting him. She would pop into his mind at odd times. He'd be out shopping, and he would find himself wondering if she would like a particular book or making note of a dress that would look good on her. It was odd and rather frustrating really. Roy had done his share of dating and romance, but no woman had ever affected him like this before. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason why it was this particular woman. She had been pretty, yes, but she wasn't the most beautiful woman Roy had ever seen. They hadn't talked either, so it couldn't be her intelligence or her personality. All in all, it was a mystery to him.

Two weeks later he had learned that her name was Riza Hawkeye, she was a history and literature major at the university, and that he had fallen in love with her. This came about in the form of another bad day. However, this time it wasn't his; it was hers. Riza had straggled onto the bus moments before the bus left the stop encumbered by two extremely unwieldy bags. And there were no seats left on the bus. When the bus had started, the poor woman had been thrown off balance, and nearly ended up in Roy's lap. Roy had offered her his seat and took one of the bags.

She'd blushed and thanked him. He told it was the least he could do. This had led to some basic introductions, and they had chatted quite comfortably for the next twenty minutes until they reached Roy's stop. And when he had left her that afternoon, instead of her haunting him, he had an ache in his heart. Riza was in so many ways what he had always wanted in a partner (if not what he looked for in a date). She was witty, intelligent, and didn't let him get away with anything. Too often Roy had women falling all over him, and it was nice to meet one who would not only disagree with but would also argue with him. Roy enjoyed verbal sparring, and Riza had matched him blow for blow.

It took another three weeks for Roy to convince her to go on a date with him. In part, that was because they hadn't run into each other very often despite the fact that they took the same bus. And in part, it was because Riza did have to be convinced to go out on a date with him. Roy wasn't sure if she just didn't typically go out with strange men she met at bus stops or if it was for some more logical reason. It had taken some doing, but he did manage to wear her down in the end.

And it was two years later under that same umbrella in the pouring rain that he proposed to her. That first date of theirs had gone well despite the number of small mishaps that occurred during it, and it led to more dates. A year later, Riza had moved in with him. Roy honestly didn't know if they ever would have met if it hadn't been for her offering to share her umbrella that day. He liked to think that they would, but they could have just as easily not. He didn't want to think about a life without her. So he asked her in the same place they met and under similar circumstances.

She said yes.

* * *

Theme: In the Rain


	32. That Time of Year

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is something of a tribute to everyone who participates in National Novel Writing Month.

* * *

**That Time of Year**

It was that time of year again. It was the only time of year when it was safe to slack off on your work just a little. The reason for this was simple: everyone was working on their novel, including Hawkeye. Yes, it was once again National Novel Writing Month, and nearly everyone at Eastern HQ was writing their novel, not just Mustang's crew. Even the Elric brothers had gotten into it.

Of course, everyone was at different stages of the novel, and the novels themselves covered a vast array of different genres and subjects. There was Fuery who has a dog as his main character while Havoc's novel was about a spy who was unlucky in love. Breda was in midst of a novel about a chef who solved murders, and Falman was actually writing a book about a group of teenage rebels. Hughes' book, of course, was all about an adorable little girl. No one had any idea what Hawkeye's novel was about, and Mustang's novel was said to be about a man who took over the government, but no one knew that for sure. Mustang and Hawkeye tended to be the most secretive of writers.

They had a Triumphant Chart of Noveling Progress set up to track the office's word count. Hawkeye was actually far ahead of everyone else. It was an interesting and odd month in the office. For example, it was not unusual to have extremely jittery staff glaring at typewriters or compulsively filling all of the paperwork from the last three months in order to avoid working on their novel. There was always coffee and munchies around. And it was the one time of the year when Hawkeye didn't threaten Mustang for fussing over her.

That was actually one of the more interesting parts of the month to watch. Mustang seemed to have made it his mission to make sure that Hawkeye had a wonderful noveling experience. He was always making sure that she had something hot to drink or had a snack when she needed. Fuery had even once caught them bouncing plot twists off one another. It was a little window into part of their relationship that most of the office didn't normally get to see. Not that they would admit it, but most of Mustang's staff thought they were rather adorable together.

Once the month was over, things would go back to normal around the office, but until then the office was staffed by six crazy novelists, and anything could really happen.

* * *

Theme: Books


	33. Breathless

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Breathless**

They spun in circles across the ice, laughing all the while. While Riza knew they really should be practicing, neither she nor Roy actually felt like doing so. The pair's figure skating team had been working nonstop for the past few months, and now after the rousing success of the first competition of the season, both of them were in the mood for some silliness. It felt good to be out on the ice without worrying about judges, coaches, or an audience. It was just the two of them like it had been on that lake behind her house when they had been children just learning to skate. Things had been simpler then.

The two of them hadn't actually planned on becoming competitive figure skaters. They had just sort of fallen into it. Both of them had loved ice skating ever since they had learned how to do it. As long as the ice was frozen, most winter days they both could be found on the pond in Riza's backyard. It had been an escape for them both. Neither of them had ever fit in very well in their small town and didn't spend much time with the other children. They had met one another because Riza's father was Roy's tutor.

As they had gotten older, both of them had attended classes at the local ice skating rink, even if they still mostly skated on the pond. It was their teachers there that singled them both out for further training and encouraged them to compete. Though not together at first. In fact, it really had been by accident that they had ended up as pairs skaters at all. The two of them had been at the rink early for lessons one afternoon, and Roy had goaded her into a game of tag on the ice. They hadn't realized that they were being watched, but apparently, they had impressed a number of people with the way the moved together. Someone had suggested that they try pairs skating, and both of their coaches had agreed.

So she and Roy had found themselves competing in pairs at the regional championships that year, and they had surprised everyone by taking silver. That had sent the two of them to nationals where they took fourth place. No one had expected the two of them to be that good, so quickly. By the time she was eighteen, the two of them had international competitions under their belts and had been winning competitions. They were nationally the top ranked pair's team, and now just a year later, they were going into their first Olympic season.

All of it had changed her perspective on skating some. There was more stress and pressure now than when she had been little. It was still fun, and Riza still loved to figure skate, but there were days when she just couldn't wait to get off the ice too. And there were days when they would spend hours working on a perfecting program only to mess it up in competition. It wasn't as carefree as it used to be.

Roy leaned in to kiss her, and Riza smiled. Of course, there were some benefits to growing up.

* * *

Theme: You're Good at What You Do


	34. His Heart and Home

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the manga. This was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**His Heart and Home**

There were times that Roy felt his heart was so full that it would overflow. This was one of them. He leaned on the door frame just watching the scene in front of him. He had been careful to make sure his footsteps didn't disturb them. Riza was sitting on the couch with Rowan curled up beside her and Chris sitting her lap. All three of them were in grossed in the book she was reading to the children, and Black Hayate was curled up at their feet. Roy loved watching his wife and children in moments like this. The three of them were everything to him.

Riza looked incredibly content. While he knew there were people who could never imagine her as a mother, Roy thought it rather suited her. Dressed in a skirt and a blouse with her long hair braided into a single tail, she didn't look anything like the stern lieutenant most people associated with her name. Roy wasn't fooled though. There was steel under what looked like a soft exterior, and Riza could still shoot as well as she had when she had been on active duty. But she let her softer side show too now.

Rowan took after her mother more than just a little. She could be the spitting image of her mother save for the fact that she had Roy's coloring. Her raven hair was most often worn in a braid these days, and her dark eyes were very sharp. Rowan was observant about almost everything, and while she was not the most vocal of children when Rowan did speak, she typically had something intelligent to say. She also had a very sarcastic sense of humor for a five year old. Rowan was also their little bookworm. Probably her favorite activity was reading or being read to. She had just started school this year, and Roy found himself wondering just how that had happened. Hadn't Rowan just been a baby last week?

Her younger brother had a much more lively personality. Even at three Chris was bright and bubbly and something of a chatterbox. He might have dark eyes like Roy's, but his fair was a sandy color somewhere between blond and brown. It even had a slight curl to it that neither Riza nor Roy knew where it came from. Neither of their hair had ever curled on its own. Chris would also try to make friends with anything that moved, though his favorite playmate by far was Trisha Elric. Edward and Winry's daughter was a year younger than Chris, and they had been firm friends since their first meeting.

To tell the truth, Roy had never expected to have a family. Oh, he'd dreamed about it, especially having a family with Riza, but he hadn't really believed that it was in the cards. He couldn't imagine being as happy as he was now. But this was reality, and it was a wonderful one. And Roy knew that he wouldn't want to be any place other than here.

* * *

Theme: Footsteps


	35. Just Another Day at the Office

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is wildly AU.

* * *

**Just Another Day at the Office**

Both Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye were ten minutes late for work. If it had just been the colonel, no one would have been worried. But Hawkeye being late was next to unheard of. It had happened one time in the history of the office, and the colonel had actually sent her home early later that day due to the fever she had. For both of them to be late indicated that something was amiss. Still, nobody had panicked just yet.

When they were both fifteen minutes late, Havoc began to think that they might need a plan. When both officers were sixteen minutes later, both Mustang and Hawkeye appeared in the doorway. Havoc was feeling more than a little uneasy. Both Mustang and Hawkeye were smiling as if Mustang had just succeeded in his plans, and there wasn't a word of reproach from Hawkeye about being late. Mustang also had his hand at the small of Hawkeye back. The gesture wasn't entirely unexpected (Havoc had seen it before), but it was rarely seen in public.

The pair seemed to realize that everyone else in the office was staring at them. A look was shared between Mustang and Hawkeye that Havoc couldn't interpret. Then Mustang smiled at his officers.

"Right. Hawkeye and I have an announcement to make, and then you all can get back to work. Hawkeye and I were married yesterday. This won't change anything directly in our office, though my superior office will be doing Hawkeye's evaluations from now on. Technically, it's Hawkeye-Mustang now, but we've decided to just stick with Hawkeye at the office. Any questions?"

They were all too much in shock to have any. Mustang nodded.

"I'll let you get back to work then."

Mustang retreated to his office while Hawkeye went about her normal morning routine of fixing herself a cup of tea before settling down to work. Havoc scrumptiously checked out her left hand. Hawkeye was wearing two gold rings, one with a diamond flanked by a pair of rubies and one that was just a plain gold band. Still, it all was a little unbelievable. Hawkeye and Mustang were actually married? Everyone knew that there was something between the two of them (they were the subject of several betting pools; there was quite a bit of money on the line at this point), but no one had really expected them to do anything about it now.

But all the evidence pointed to the fact that they had gotten married. Havoc and the rest of the guys watched rather stunned as Hawkeye brought a stack of papers to Mustang. There was some quiet conversation between the two of them (that was normal), and then Mustang picked up his pen and started signing them without protest. Hawkeye returned to her seat, and ten minutes later, Mustang delivered the signed papers to her along with a kiss.

"So," Breda asked, sounding vaguely worried. "Who won the bet?"

No one quite knew what to make of it when they discovered that Maes Hughes was now several thousand sen richer. There was a vague feeling a doom though, especially when one considered just how many pictures that could buy. Still, Hawkeye and Mustang were now married. There was just something right about that. Either there was still hope for the world or the office would end in burning wreckage. Either way, at least they would have a front row seat.

* * *

Theme: Realization


	36. Spur of the Moment

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is wildly AU.

* * *

**Spur of the Moment**

In the end, they would probably blame it on Maes or her grandfather. They were the ones who kept pushing the idea. And it was her grandfather who had mentioned the loophole in the first place. But the whole thing was really a spur of the moment decision. Riza's grandfather had hit them with the loophole the week before, and she knew that Roy had been thinking about it. She had too, though she wouldn't have suggested this. However, Maes and Gracia were bringing Elysia to East City for the weekend, and Saturday morning, Roy had looked at her and asked, "Why don't we get married this afternoon?"

They had been cooking breakfast for their friends who were staying with Roy. Riza carefully pulled the bacon out of the frying pan before meeting his eyes.

"Are you serious?"

Roy nodded. "Yes. I love you. I've loved you for years. That's not going to change. And it's probably not much of a secret anyway. Why shouldn't we get married?"

And the he paused before speaking softly. "It's something I always hoped we'd have the chance to do."

Truthfully, it was something that Riza wanted as well. It wasn't something that Riza had ever really expected to have the opportunity to do. But now it was an option, and why waste the opportunity? So she met Roy's eyes, leaned in, and kissed him.

"Yes."

After that, the day had turned into something of a whirlwind. Maes and Roy were sent off to go find wedding rings and Riza's grandfather while Gracia and Riza dealt with finding Riza something to wear. The wedding might not be large or especially fancy, but Gracia insisted that Riza at least needed a nice dress and flowers. They met back up shortly before lunch at East City's courthouse. Roy had changed into a suit, and they not only had her grandfather with them, but they had also somehow acquired the Elric brothers and Winry Rockbell. Not that Riza minded. It probably was a good idea to have some more impartial witnesses as well as their friends and family.

The clerk at the courthouse handed Riza a packet of paperwork to fill out and told them it would probably be a half hour. It Riza less than fifteen minutes to fill out the paperwork, but then that really wasn't all that surprising. It was part of what she did for a living. She turned them back in to the clerk with a sigh and ran a hand over the fabric of her dress, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. This all felt a little surreal to her. But she was standing here in an ivory dress waiting to get married.

Soon enough they were called into the courtroom itself. The ceremony was brief and uncomplicated. The judge said a few words and then had Roy and Riza sign the marriage certificated with Maes, Gracia, Edward, and Winry serving as the necessary witnesses. The judge was the last one to sign the piece of paper. Then he had them exchange rings and pronounced them husband and wife. Roy actually kissed her before the man had said the words "You may now kiss the bride", but neither he nor Riza really cared.

When the two of them pulled apart, Riza felt an odd sense of finality. They really were married. She hadn't expected it to happen, but Riza could honestly say that she was happy it had. There was just a sense of rightness about this; they did belong together. Roy grinned at her, and Riza found herself leaning in to kiss him again. After all, it was their wedding day.

* * *

Theme: I Love You


	37. Cradle Hymn

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the end of the manga and is slightly AU. This was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Cradle Hymn**

Roy woke alone in bed. He could see the pale moonlight peeking in from behind the window curtains. Riza was missing from their bed, but he could guess where she had gone. He rolled out of bed and padded down to the hallway. He stood there, leaning against the doorframe and watching the scene in front of him. Riza sat in the carved wooden rocking chair that was placed under the window. She was rocking and softly singing to their five month old daughter.

Rowan must have woken up earlier. Roy felt a little guilty. He had been taking care of most of the late night feedings, but it looked like he'd missed this one. Still, the picture Riza and Rowan made together was worth it. Despite her trepidations, Riza had taken to motherhood extremely well. Roy wasn't surprised by that. Riza had always been something of the mother of his group, even if it was by default more than anything else. Roy would admit that he had spent years dreaming about what Riza would look like with their child. The reality was even better than his dreams.

Riza looked up from Rowan and met his eyes with a smile. Roy smiled back. Riza continued to sing.

"Hush, my child, lie still and slumber. Guardian angels guard thy bed. Heavenly blessings without number gently falling on thy head."

Roy just watched the two of them. This was worth more than sleep.

* * *

Theme: Seeking for You


	38. On a Summer Afternoon

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the end of the manga and is slightly AU. This was previously posted as a part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**On a Summer Afternoon**

Laughter was the predominant sound ringing out in the afternoon air. It was a joyous occasion that they had gathered for, and that was evident to everyone there. The backyard of the Rockbell-Elric residence had been filled with chairs and tables for the reception. It was a small wedding really, just family and friends, but that was more than enough people to help them celebrate. There was an arbor covered in roses where the ceremony would actually take place, and Roy had spent most of the morning setting up the chairs in front of it.

Right now though, Roy was busy keeping the groom from succumbing to a bout of nerves. Not that he had anything to worry about. Chris had been in love with Trisha since the two of them were toddlers. They had gone from being childhood playmates and close friends to a couple in love over the years. And as much as both Roy and Ed complained about the idea of being related to one another (even if it was only by marriage), they both were happy for their children.

Roy had somehow gotten tasked with keeping an eye on Chris and his two groomsmen, Edwin Elric and Daffyd Almsley. Edwin was Trisha's older brother and the oldest of Edward and Winry's children while Daffyd was a friend and co-worker of Chris' from the military. Both of them served under one Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Mustang, who just happened to be Chris' older sister as well. Both Chris and Rowan had gone into the military as alchemists. Of course, that was a little different these days than it had been when he was State Alchemist.

It was hard for Roy to believe some times just how much time had past. Back when he was trying to overthrow the government, Roy wouldn't have dreamed of being at his son's wedding. He honestly hadn't believed he had been alive at this point. And there were times that it felt like it was just yesterday when the Elric brothers had been roaming Amestris searching for the Philosopher's Stone. But those days had long passed.

He smiled at the trio of young men. Edwin, taller than his father but looking very much the same as a teenage Edward Elric, teasing Chris about joining the family. Like his father, Edwin was an alchemist, though he had not become a State Alchemist. Instead, he preferred to wander around the country just helping out where needed and working as a jack of all trades. Daffyd was tall and quiet, but with a grin and mischief in his eyes. The young man had been transferred onto Rowan's team almost a year ago, and he had quickly become accepted as a friend by both Mustang children. There was some attraction between Daffyd and Rowan, but neither of them seemed to be acting on it just yet.

And then there was Chris himself. Chris took mostly after his mother in color with sandy blond hair and fair skin, though he did have Roy's dark eyes. There was just a hint of curl to his short hair, and Roy had no idea where in the family tree that came from. His son was laid back and easy going for the most part, and many people missed the fact that he was also extremely sharp and observant. More than anyone else in the family, Chris reminded Roy of Riza's grandfather. Funny, charming, and underestimated. Chris had proven a number of times that he was a force to be reckoned with, including when he'd earned his title as the Wind Alchemist at eighteen with his ability to manipulate air currents.

They were the future of the country, and Roy liked what he saw. He wasn't worried about the mistakes of the past being forgotten anymore.

"Honestly, you're almost as bad as they are." His wife's voice made him jump.

Riza stood behind him wearing a slight frown. "You were supposed to have them in place two minutes ago. We're just about ready to start."

She raised her voice so the boys could hear her. "Or do you just want to skip the wedding?"

Riza really was much better at marshaling the troops than he was. Within minutes she had the boys in play. Then it was their turn to take their seats in the front row of guests next to Winry. Edward would join them once he had escorted Trisha down the aisle. As the bridal procession began, Roy linked his hand with Riza's, absently running his thumb over her wedding band. The bridesmaids consisted of Lixue Yao, Trisha's best friend, Rowan. Both young women looked exotic with their dark hair and their Xing style dresses the color of jade. Behind them followed Trisha herself on her father's arm.

Trisha was clearly her father's daughter. She had taken after Ed in her coloring with dark golden hair and amber eyes, though her hair had a wave to it that neither Ed nor Winry had. She was also an alchemist, but Trisha was a medical doctor as well. Her interests lay in combining healing alchemy from Xing with modern medical science. As she walked down the aisle, her eyes were locked on to Chris, and Roy doubted that she was seeing anything else. He knew that all he really remembered from his own wedding was Riza's face.

It was a simple ceremony. That was what the children had wanted, and it suited them. Roy would admit to being a little misty eyed when Chris and Trisha exchanged their vows. Both because he was proud and happy for his son and because he was remembering his own wedding. Riza squeezed his hand and smiled. Days like this reminded them both why the fight had been worth it.

* * *

Theme: Thread of Fate


	39. Inspiration

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is Slightly AU and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Inspiration**

What would become the most famous painting in Amestris came from an accidental inspiration. At the time, Carine Wagner was just an art student at the university in Central. She had also been at some of a loss for what to pain as her major work for that term in her watercolor class. It was just happenstance that she was sitting at a café by the window with her sketch book when the downpour started.

The skies had opened up, and the rain had poured down. But what had caught Carine's attention was a couple who were now dashing towards the café. They held the man's black overcoat over their heads as they ran. The two were a striking couple. He was raven haired with dark eyes while she was a blond with eyes a shade of reddish amber. They were close to the same height, and both dressed in casual clothes. But what had really caught Carine's attention was the connection between the two of them.

It showed not only in the looks they shared but also in the way they stood and moved and touched one another. Carine didn't think she had ever a couple so connected and in love before. Her hand was flying over the pages of her sketch book before she knew it, capturing not only the couple's general pose but also sketches of their faces and other details. She really only had a handful of minutes to study them before they had reached the safety of the café's awning and disappeared from her sight.

Carine carefully tucked away her sketchbook and finished her meal before heading back home. The next afternoon she cleared her studio and set up her largest canvas and got to work. It was an incredibly project to work on, incredibly frustrating and incredibly rewarding at the same time. Because the images in her mind were so vivid, Carine found herself hard pressed to match them on the canvas. She lost herself in the work, and subsequently pretty much missed most of the upheaval in the country.

It wasn't until nearly months after the change in government that the painting finally went on display at the university, and it was almost a year after the incident that sparked the inspiration for the painting that someone identified the couple in the painting as Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. That sparked a whole new interest in the work, and when Carine finally sold the painting at the art department's yearly auction, the painting not only sold for the highest price of all the items available, but it outsold the rest of the artwork by over a thousand cenz.

Eventually the painting, titled 'Couple in the Rain', would hang in Amestris' most prestigious art museum and was seen by thousands and studied by art students. Over the years people would forget that the man and woman in the picture were Mustang and Hawkeye, but everyone agreed that the couple was incredibly in love.

* * *

Theme: Artistic


	40. I Want You

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**I Want You**

Roy was beginning to regret agreeing to coming out tonight. He really wasn't in the mood for an evening of drinking and dancing. He would have preferred a quite night in or even a dinner for three with Maes and Gracia. But Maes had plans to propose tonight, and Roy knew he would be a third wheel for that. So he had let his political science classmates talk him into coming here.

He caught sight of her across the club from him. Roy couldn't imagine what Riza Hawkeye was doing in a place like this, but he didn't really care either. She was here. Getting over to her proved to be easier said then done, but she was still there when he finally made it. Roy didn't think she had seen him. He took a moment to study her.

He hadn't seen her since he had left for university. Riza looked great though. She was perched on a bar stool, a full glass of clear liquid resting beside her hand. Her blond hair was longer than he remember and worn down. Combined with the short black skirt and the tank top that hugged her curves, Roy didn't think she had ever seemed as breathtaking.

Knowing better than to come up behind her, Roy approached her with a smile.

"Long time no see, stranger."

Riza looked up. "Roy."

Their eyes met, and Roy remembered why it had been so hard to leave for university and why he hadn't been back to visit. Because he wanted Riza more than anything else. Enough that he would stay for her and give up any other dreams. And she wouldn't allow him that. But maybe now he could have both.

"Dance with me?" Roy held out a hand.

She laughed. "Always."

* * *

Theme: Day Off


	41. A Minor Change

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set at the end of the manga. This was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**A Minor Change**

Riza hadn't exactly intended to cut her hair. Quite honestly, she could blame Roy though it wasn't entirely his fault either. They could both blame Havoc though. If it hadn't been for him, Riza's hair probably wouldn't had been singed badly enough for her to need to cut most of it off. And at that point Riza had gone for the practical hairstyle and had the rest of it cut off as well.

Getting used to short hair was a little odd. Riza rather missed her longer hair, but the short style was practical, and she could always grow her hair out again later. The change wouldn't hurt her, even if Roy had made a mournful face when he saw her new style. Still, it was short and practical, and it would be one less thing she had to worry about in the morning. But, Riza though as she looked at herself in the mirror, she would definitely grow her hair in time for the wedding.

* * *

Theme: Scissors


	42. Changes

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set at the end of the manga and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Changes**

Rowan was pretty sure that something was up with her parents. Mama and Papa had been acting oddly all week. It was just little things, but Rowan noticed. And like any good daughter, she decided that she needed to investigate things. She had recruited Black Hayate to help her. There had to be a reason Papa kept fussing over little things like Mama carrying the groceries or how much she ate at dinner. And Mama didn't like bacon with breakfast any more. It was some sort of mystery, and Rowan was determined to find out exactly what was going on.

Mama was the easiest to observe since she was home with Rowan most of the time. The two year old peered through a partially closed door, watching her mother look at herself in the mirror. Mama rest her hands on her stomach and made a face. Then she smiled. Rowan frowned. Mama was not normally silly like this. But Rowan couldn't see any reason why she was acting silly. Maybe Papa would have a clue.

So Rowan waited until Papa came home. He scooped Rowan up and gave her a hug and a kiss before going to kiss Mama. Rowan followed after him to the kitchen in order to watch him cook. Papa had been doing more of the cooking lately. That had to be another piece of the puzzle. Normally, Mama and Papa traded turns doing the cooking. Rowan added this to her collection of clues. But dinner didn't provide any other clues except for the fact that Papa wouldn't let Mama do the dishes, and Mama didn't argue with him. That wasn't normal at all.

Finally, when Mama and Papa tucked her into bed and kissed good night, Rowan couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong?"

Her parents both looked surprised. Mama tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What do you mean, Rowan?"

"Mama keeps acting silly, and Papa won't let you work."

Her father blinked, but her mother just smiled.

"Nothing is wrong, dear heart. Your father is just being silly. In six months, you are going to have a baby brother or sister, and he's probably going to be a little silly until the baby gets here."

"Promise?"

Her mother nodded. "Promise."

Rowan nodded. "Okay. I want a brother."

Her father laughed. "We'll see, Rowan. Are you ready to go to sleep now?"

She nodded. The mystery was solved after all. A little brother would be a nice, and she could work with a little sister too.

Mama turned out the lights. "Sweet dreams."

Rowan closed her eyes with a smile.

* * *

Theme: Premonition


	43. Night Fears

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set at the end of the manga and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Night Fears**

The thunderstorm outside was not what was keeping Roy awake. It was quite a storm to be sure, but he had slept through worse. To tell the truth, he didn't really mind being awake at the moment. He was curled up in a warm bed with his lovely wife. There really wasn't much more Roy could ask for. Riza being awake perhaps, but really, he was quite content. He had a life with the woman he loved and two children that he adored. His country was back on the right track again, and he was happy. It was a life and a future he had not expected to have.

There was another flash of lightening and a sudden clap of thunder. Moments later, soft footsteps could be heard padding towards the door. It opened a sliver and a dark haired head peered in.

"Mama?"

Riza stirred. "Rowan? What's wrong?"

"The storm is scary. Can I sleep with you?"

Riza shifted closer to him in the bed, lifting up the covers so their daughter could climb into the bed. The five year old snuggled up against her mother with a happy sigh. Roy just smiled. This wasn't the first time Rowan had sought their bed for comfort during a storm. Roy peered over Riza's shoulder at the girl. She would be back asleep within minutes; it was a familiar pattern. He pressed a kiss to his wife's shoulder.

"How long do you think before Chris makes an appearance?"

Riza chuckled softly. "He won't be far behind Rowan. Is there room on your side?"

He shifted closer to his wife with a smile. "Yes."

True enough, by the next crash of thunder, another pair of small feet padded into their bedroom. Their three year old son did not even ask if he could join them in bed. Chris just climbed into Roy's side with his teddy bear and curled up to go to sleep. He was asleep within moments. Roy just smiled. It wouldn't be the first time that his bed had been full of his family. And in the end, that was more reward than he had ever hoped for.

* * *

Theme: A Flash of Lighting and the Roar of Thunder


	44. Under the Summer Sky

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set at the end of the manga and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Under the Summer Sky**

The tradition had been started when Rowan was about five months old. She was an easy going baby, but it had become difficult to get her to go to sleep at night. But Roy had discovered (mostly by accident) that walking seemed to help his daughter nod off, and so they three of them would go walking together before bed. Twenty to thirty minutes did the trick, and Roy found it rather pleasant to wind down the day with a walk around the neighborhood with his wife and child.

Even as Rowan got older, the evening walks continued. His daughter had turned out to be a night owl, and it was at least one time during the day where the entire family would be together. Chris' birth when Rowan was two did not change the routine any. The only thing that deterred them from their walks was the weather quite honestly. The evening walks didn't happen in the winter, but spring through fall if the weather was good enough to go out and walk in, the Mustang family did.

So Roy knew what he would be doing this evening, and he approached the house with a warm smile. It was always good to come home. The front door was flung open, and he had to drop his briefcase to catch the flying missile that was his daughter. Rowan practically leapt into his arms.

"Daddy! You're home!"

Roy scooped up his daughter, settling her on his hip. "And how was your day, sweetheart?"

Rowan laughed. "Mama and I made cookies while Chris was napping, and I drew you a picture."

She looked very much like her mother. Rowan might have his dark hair and eyes, but she was really her mother's child. Rowan could be the spitting image of Riza when she was a child, and for all that she had a much happier childhood than Riza had so far, Rowan was a fairly serious child in most cases, though she had a mischievous streak and the curiosity of a cat.

Roy's wife appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face. The little blond boy perched on Riza's hip waved happily at him. Chris was an incredibly sunny child. Roy had no idea where that had come from, but he really didn't care either. He had gotten his mother's golden locks to go with that personality though his eyes were a much darker brown than Riza's. "Dada!"

Chris reached out for him, and he and Riza exchanged children.

When he had planned for the future of Amestris, Roy hadn't imagined Rowan or Chris being in that future. He'd hadn't really expected to live this long. But now he really couldn't imagine a life without them. His two children had been a definite blessing to him, and Roy knew his wife felt the same way. After Chris had been born, Riza had decided to only work part time until he started school. It had made sense at the time given she had both a newborn and a two year old on her hands. Now, though, Rowan would start school this fall. It was hard to believe, but she had turned five this winter. It wouldn't be that long before it was Chris' turn.

His family made their way inside, and Roy put Chris down, so he could wash his hands and help Riza finish up with dinner. It didn't take that long to get the food on the table, and then another family dinner started. They were always interesting, especially with a toddler who would eat anything and a five year old who was very picky and precise about her food. When diner was eaten and the dishes were done, the family prepared for their evening walk.

Riza carried Chris while Rowan rode on Roy's shoulders. It was just a little past sunset now, and the sky was all shades of purple. The four of them made their way down the street, heading for a local park. The reason for going there was soon apparent. The park was full of fireflies. In the day time there would have been butterflies and dragonflies, but at night was when the real show happened.

It didn't take long for them to find a spot in the grass to settle and watch the dancing lights. Chris crowed in delight while Rowan just watched, eyes wide in awe. Roy reached over an entwined his fingers with Riza's. They stayed there, sitting together and watching the fireflies, as the sky darkened and the moon began to rise. Slowly the masses of fireflies began to thin. Chris was soon fast asleep in Riza's lap. Rowan, their little night owl, perched in his own lap still fascinated by the fireflies.

Roy sighed. They should be heading home soon. The children needed to be put to bed, and unfortunately, he had work tomorrow. Gathering Rowan up in his arms, he rose to his feet. She made a sleepy protest, but that was the only complaint she gave. Riza followed suit, and they made their way home.

Riza went to change Chris into his pajamas and put him in his crib while Roy helped Rowan get ready for bed and tucked her in.

"Love you, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Rowan. Sweet dreams."

No, this wasn't the future he had imagined all those years ago, but it was better than anything his mind could have produced. And he wouldn't give up these evening walks for anything.

* * *

Theme: Dragonflies and Fireflies


	45. In the Autumn

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set at the end of the manga and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**In the Autumn**

Riza smiled as she pinned the red and white camellias in her daughter's hair. Rowan's choice of flowers struck Riza as fitting for a number of reasons. For one thing, the colors suited Rowan quite well, and the meaning of camellias was 'you are the flame of my heart'. Appropriate when her daughter had inherited Roy's talents with fire. Neither Roy nor herself had intended to pass on flame alchemy to their children, but Rowan had figured out most of it for herself. In the end, they had decided it was safer to pass the information on to Rowan rather than let her muddle through on her own and perhaps have those secrets leak to others. And Rowan had proven to be a responsible guardian for the information.

But what really made the choice fitting was the fact that Riza herself had worn red and white camellias in her hair when she had married Roy. And while Chris and Trisha's romance had mirrored Edward and Winry's, Rowan's romance with Daffyd had mirrored Riza and Roy's. Of course, Rowan had been Daffyd's commanding officer rather than the other way around, but that really didn't matter. Both young people suited one another quite well, and it was easy for Riza to see how much they loved one another.

"You're all set, darling."

Rowan smiled at her in the mirror. "Thanks, Mom."

The two women looked very much alike. Rowan had her father's hair and eyes, but other than that she was Riza's spitting image. Picking up the bouquet of red and white roses, Rowan turned towards the door.

"Do you think that the boys are ready?"

Riza just grinned. "I asked Elysia to keep an eye on them. They'll be ready."

"Okay. You can send Trisha and Ishbel in. I'll be ready to go in just a few moments."

"I'll go get your father in position." Riza paused in the doorway. "Are you nervous, Rowan?"

Her daughter shook her head. "No. I'm marrying the man I love more than anything. Why would I be?"

Riza just smiled. "Good."

She had felt exactly the same way before she married Roy. Speaking of her husband, she had better make sure Roy was ready to give the bride away. He wasn't entirely happy that his baby girl was getting married, but he did like Daffyd and he knew that Daffyd truly loved Rowan. That was probably the only reason why he'd stopped being an overprotective father where Daffyd was concerned.

"Is she ready?"

Riza straightened her husband's tie. "Just about. Are you?"

Roy sighed. "I guess."

She kissed him. "Rowan will still be your daughter. She'll just be married."

"I know."

"Go see your daughter."

He went off to collect Rowan, and Riza make her way to the small garden where the wedding would take place. Rowan and Daffyd had chosen to get married in the Xing garden that had been built in Central. It was a small gathering. The Mustangs, the Hughes, both Elric families, and Daffyd's sisters. A few of Rowan's friends were there as well, but really there weren't more than fifty guests.

Riza made her way over to the groom and his friends. Chris and Edwin were standing up with Daffyd as his groomsmen for the wedding. The three young men had become fast friends rather quickly which was a rather good thing. Trisha (Edwin's younger sister) had married Chris. Daffyd was marrying Chris' sister, and Edwin was now dating Ishbel (Daffyd's younger sister). If the boys hadn't gotten along, most family get togethers could have gotten rather awkward. But since they had become firm friends, there had yet to be too much in the way of the overprotectiveness of brothers.

Riza straightened Edwin's tie with a smile and checked to make sure that both Daffyd's and Chris' uniforms were in proper order. She smiled at all three of them, and then kissed Daffyd's cheek.

"Don't look so worried. Rowan will be here. She's not going to run off on you."

Daffyd offered her a shy smile. "Thanks, General Hawkeye."

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Riza," he corrected.

She made her way to her seat in the first row. Moments later the ceremony began, and Roy escorted Rowan down the aisle before taking his seat beside Riza. They linked hands and watched as the ceremony began. Rowan and Daffyd's ceremony was simple and brief, but their words were heartfelt, and anyone could see how much they loved another. And under the autumn sky that reminded her of the day she had married Roy, Riza watched her own daughter get married. It was a memory that made her more than happy she'd entrusted her back to her father's student all those years ago.

* * *

Theme: Rose


	46. Heart's Jewels

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**Heart's Jewels**

Riza Hawkeye did not have a great deal of jewelry. She really didn't wear it that often, and the few pieces that she did have were all the more special because of it. What she wore most often was one of the three pairs of stud earrings that Roy had given her for her birthday back when he'd been a student of her father's. Actually, in all honesty, Roy had given her most of the jewelry she owned. Maybe that was why she was so fond of all the pieces.

There was the cameo broach that he'd given her to wear for Maes and Gracia's wedding. It was a beautifully carved silhouette on a background of a soft peach that was much prettier than the blue Riza typically saw with cameos. Fifteen minutes before the wedding had started, Roy had pinned it to the shrug that she was wearing. He'd kissed her cheek and hadn't explained where the broach had come from. But he hadn't let her give it back either.

She also had a necklace and earring set of garnets and citrines. Roy had given that to her several years ago when she'd needed to accompany him to a gala ball. Technically, she had been there as his bodyguard, but Roy had insisted on treating it like a date, and she hadn't had any jewelry that had matched her gown anyway.

However, probably her favorite piece of jewelry (and the one she carried with her even if she didn't exactly wear it) was the gold ring that she typically wore with her dogtags. It was a simple golden band patterned with twining vines and holding a small diamond. Inside there was an engraving that would probably mean nothing to most people. It was three Xing characters: hawk, heart, and flame. Riza rarely was actually able to wear the ring, but she did keep it close.

No, she didn't have a lot of jewelry. But Riza was okay with that. The memories that were connected with the pieces she had were worth more to her than the gold and jewels any day.

* * *

Theme: Jewelry


	47. Lady of the Night

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**Lady of the Night**

Riza had run when she realized what her father had done to her. She'd been badly in shock, and everything around her had been turned upside down. It hadn't been a conscious thought to run to him. Roy had been someone she trusted even if he was her father's student. She really didn't know how she had managed to get to his mother's home in Central City, but when she had shown up on his doorstep, Roy had pulled her into a warm hug, and Riza had burst into tears.

Roy had led her into the kitchen and fixed her a cup of tea. He let her calm down before taking her hand in his and saying, "He turned you, didn't he."

She stared at him uncomprehending. Roy squeezed her hand.

"I know you're a little freaked out right now, Riza. That's pretty normal." He smiled at her. "Let me guess. Your father forced you to drink something, and within minutes you were feeling pain and you passed out. When you woke up, you tried to attack the first person you came across and panicked."

She shook her head. "When I woke, Father tried to make me attack Mr. Harris from the general store. He was making a delivery."

What had scared her was the fact that she had almost done it, and resisting the man's flowing blood had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

"Okay." Roy rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "It's going to be fine, Riza."

"I'm a monster aren't I?"

To her utter surprise, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "No, sweetheart, you're not a monster. I know you're confused, but I promise everything will be all right. If I had known that your father was going to turn you so soon, I would have been there."

"I don't understand." And she was so thirsty. The tea hadn't helped at all.

Roy got up and retrieved something from the refrigerator. Moments later he held out a glass with a straw to her. "This will help, and I'll try to explain."

She took a cautious sip. The drink was slightly metallic and odd in taste, but it did seem to quench her thirst. Roy sighed.

"I'm not sure where to start. You're not a monster, Riza, and you're not alone. Your father might be one of the more isolated and idiosyncratic of us, but most of us are a little more sociable." He made a face. "Maybe I should start with the fact that vampires exist. Sort of. Well, actually, it's more like we're immortals due to an alchemical process and require a higher amount of blood in our systems than most humans. We don't get sick, and we heal more quickly. We don't die of natural causes. We have enhanced senses and strength."

"You're joking." Riza frowned. "We?"

Roy shook his head. "I'm really not. Yes, we. You're not the only one of us. I'm one too. Why do you think I was sent to take lessons from your father? His skill with alchemy was only part of it."

"But you can go out into the sunlight."

"That's a myth." He grinned. "Actually, a lot of what you here about us is just myth."

"You said this has something to do with alchemy?"

Roy ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. It's a long story though. Why don't you finish your drink, and we can get you settled in the guest room. Mom won't be home until late tonight, so I'll make us some dinner and try to answer all your questions."

"Vampires still eat?"

He grinned. "Yep."

Riza set aside her now empty glass with a sigh. She was still slightly confused, though not as panicked as she had been. But it was comforting to know that she wasn't alone in this. As she got to her feet, Roy pulled her into another hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I know you're confused and uncertain, Riza, but I'm glad you're one of us now. I promise things will work out."

She returned his embrace. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Theme: Flowing Blood


	48. This Love

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU.

* * *

**This Love**

The music in the club was swinging. Riza grinned from her seat at the bar, sipping her glass of water. She was currently on break which meant that she got to enjoy the music for a change. Soon enough, she would be the one on stage performing. Her father would have had a litter of kittens if he was still alive. He wouldn't have approved of her performing in a club or her getting paid for it. And he certainly wouldn't have approved of her playing and sing jazz. But quite honestly, Riza enjoyed this far too much to care, and since she was keeping up with her classical music studies as well, she didn't feel too guilty about it.

It had actually been one of her father's students that had introduced her to jazz. Actually, Roy was the only one of her father's students that Riza could remember, though she knew there had been others when she was younger. Roy was only three years older than she was, and he was a very talented pianist. He also had a mother who ran a jazz club. When her father had died, both Roy and Christine Mustang had insisted on taking her in. And in doing so, Riza had become exposed to a life that she had never known in the little Louisiana town she'd lived in all her life.

These days Riza attended university at Xavier University, majoring in music with her specialties being piano and voice, and at night she worked at Madame Mustang's club. She was happy with her life and with the company she kept. Roy plopped down on the barstool next to her.

"Come dance with me."

She laughed and set down her glass. "One dance. Then I have to get back to work. You could accompany me."

He laughed and kissed her before offering her his hand. "One dance, and one duet."

"Deal."

Roy pulled her to her feet and out onto the dance floor. Riza had to admit that she was happiest in his arms. No, her father probably wouldn't approve of either this life of hers or this love, but Riza was happy, and that was determining factor for her. This love was something she would never give up.

* * *

Theme: Jazz


	49. The Written Word

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**The Written Word**

Riza set the cup of coffee down beside the man's elbow. "Here you go."

The dark haired man flashed her a smile. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything else?"

He hesitated a moment before saying, "A piece of that lemon cake, please."

She nodded. "All right."

As she headed back to the counter, Riza couldn't help smiling. The man was one of her regulars, and she was rather fond of him. She didn't know why he spent hours in her café, scribbling in a notebook, but he was always friendly and tipped well. She didn't know his name either, but he'd been coming to this café and bookstore for at least as long as she'd been working there. He was probably one of her favorite patrons. While Riza enjoyed her part-time job at the café, it did have its downside. But it allowed her to attend university part-time, and it was better than working at the bar which had been her other option.

Riza brought the slice of lemon cake over to the man along with his bill. He accepted both with a smile. When she came back later, just as he was leaving, Riza found a generous time and a scribbled note on the bill. It read: _You have a beautiful smile. It reminds me of a sunrise. Thanks._ She tucked the bill in her pocket once she had rung it up. It was a sweet thing to say, and after the morning she'd had, it was a definite pick up.

Looking back, Riza could trace the trail of notes on bills to that day. It was too weeks after that she finally learned man's name: Roy Mustang. And that was the day that her relationship with him had really changed. She had been heading over to his table to give him a refill when two things had struck Riza. He wasn't actually writing today, and if she didn't know better, she would say he was in tears. She carefully set her pitcher of coffee down on his table.

"Hey, are you all right? Do you need something?"

He looked up at her, and while he wasn't crying, his eyes were so full of pain. He hesitated a moment then whispered. "Could you sit with me for awhile?"

Riza scanned the room. There wasn't anything that Maria and Winry couldn't handle for now.

"Sure. Let me grab a cup for myself."

Once she had done that, Riza took the seat across from him and poured herself a cup of coffee, adding both sugar and cream. The man hesitated again before speaking.

"My best friend died today. He had a wife and a daughter he loved so much. No matter where Maes went, he always carried a picture of his daughter to share." He opened his wallet. "I never told him I did too. Elysia's my goddaughter."

He held out a picture of a golden haired girl perched on a dark haired man's shoulders. Riza smiled.

"She's beautiful."

"Yeah." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Maes was on his way to meet me. He'd stopped at the bank before hand. And of course, he had to be the one that the robbers made an example of."

Riza covered his hand with her own. It was easy enough to see that he was angry, sad, and feeling guilty all at the same time. It was never easy to lose someone, but sudden, unexpected death could shake you.

"He was practically my brother."

Stories came out in slow spurts, and Riza sat and listened. She couldn't help feeling sympathy for this man. This was quite clearly one of the worst days of his life, and it seemed he really had no one else to lean on for comfort. When her father had died, Riza knew she would have appreciated a sympathetic ear, and she saw no harm in providing him one. Besides, today was slow enough that the café didn't actually need three people working. It was hours later when he finally had exhausted his store of things to say.

He met her eyes. "Thank you. I think I just needed someone to talk to."

Riza shrugged and rose from her seat. "You're welcome."

He held out a hand. "I'm Roy Mustang."

"Riza Hawkeye."

That one act of kindness changed things, and the little notes on his bills became much more frequent. Roy would almost always chat with her when he came in and she was working, and Riza had started taking her break whenever he arrived. Roy had turned into a friend at some point, and truthfully, Riza didn't have many of those. His notes on the bills always cheered her up whether they were just sweet or silly and funny. It became normal for her to keep an eye out for him when he came in, and he never seemed to miss one of his regular days. She also couldn't help noticing that he was coming in on the weekends more often than before as well. Not that Riza minded. Roy had turned out to be a surprising good friend, and she enjoyed his company.

Time passed, and they learned more about each other. Roy was a free lance writer. Maes had been his agent. That explained in part why he kept writing her notes. When Riza ended up adopting the puppy one of her coworkers found out in the rain, Roy was the one who helped her figure out what all she needed for the dog. In some ways it was an odd little relationship. They rarely ever met outside of the café, and they really had only known one another for about eight months.

Still, Roy had turned out to be a very good friend, and Riza enjoyed spending time with him. Shaking her head to clear it, Riza finished tying on her apron and made her way out to the front counter. She had been running late today due to a lecture that had gone long. A quick scan of the café told her that Roy was not here. Riza blinked. When had she started expecting him to be? Still, it was a weekday, and he was typically here by now. With a shrug, Riza got to work. She'd worry about this later.

When she finally had a chance to take her break, Riza made her way over to Roy's regular table. There was a book sitting there. Curious, she picked it up only for the book to fall open to the dedication page. It read: _To Riza – I couldn't have continued with out you._ Eyes wide, she flipped back to the cover to find that Roy Mustang was listed as the author.

"I really couldn't have finished it without your support."

Riza whirled around to find Roy standing behind her. He smiled at her.

"You kept me from doing something very stupid that day. And you've become one of the best friends I've ever had. Actually, I think I'm in love with you."

He stepped forward, catching her hands in his and kissing her soundly. When he pulled away, Riza felt a little dazed and her heart felt ready to overflow with emotion. Roy just smiled at her.

"Would you like to go out for dinner?"

Riza laughed, and this time she kissed him. "Yes."

And so once again, their relationship changed, though in many ways it didn't. The two of them were still friends, and their dating was just a new component of that. The real change for Riza though was the fact that their interactions were no longer confined to the café. Roy wasn't someone she just saw at her place of work. He had somehow infiltrated all of the parts of her life, and Riza couldn't say she really minded.

His first book was not his last, and in the three years of their dating, Roy had published another two novels and several short stories as well as writing a number of unpublished love notes on the oddest things like bills or paper napkins. Riza still kept them. Sometime around their second anniversary of dating, they had moved in together, sharing a loft that was about a fifteen minute bus ride from the university. Riza still had her part-time job at the café, though she was due to graduate from university this spring. All in all, Riza was happy with her life.

She tied on her apron and did a quick glance around the café. Roy wasn't at his usual table at the moment, but there was something on it, and she knew that he was planning on coming in today. So once she'd dealt with the customers who there, Riza swung by his regular table. One of Roy's notebooks was sitting there looking like there was something tucked inside. Familiar with Roy's romantic gestures, Riza set down the pot of coffee she was carrying and flipped the notebook open.

Roy had written: _I'm so glad that this was the coffee shop I decided to write in. Meeting you was one of the best things to happen to me, Riza. Will you marry me, sweetheart?_ Below the message was a diamond solitaire ring.

"What do you say, Riza?"

She turned to smile at Roy. "Are you going to put the ring on me or do I have to put it on myself."

With a laugh, Roy slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her.

* * *

Theme: Bookstore


	50. A Toast to Us

Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is set after the manga and was previously posted as part of An Apple a Day.

* * *

**A Toast to Us**

Laughter rang throughout the room. They had all come together to celebrate tonight. As Riza glanced around the room she found familiar faces all around. Christine Mustang was probably the oldest person here. Riza's one major regret was that her grandfather was not here to see this. He had died some years ago, but at least he had lived to see his great-grandchildren born. Both Rowan and Chris were here tonight. Chris was currently balancing Rhiannon, his two year daughter, on his hip while discussing some use for wind alchemy with Lixue Yao. Emperor Yao's oldest daughter was more interested in Rhiannon than the conversation. Rowan was out on the dance floor with her own husband.

Roy squeezed her hand, and Riza smiled at her husband. Neither of them had especially needed this party to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary, but their friends and family had insisted, and it was a good excuse for a reunion party. They hadn't really had one of these in years. Not since the last wedding at least. It was definitely going to be a fun evening. So much had changed over the years and yet they had not changed all that much. Well, both she and Roy now had grey in their hair, and neither of them was up to chasing the Elrics around the country any more, but who they were really hadn't changed.

Amestris too had changed over the years, and she and Roy had seen their hopes and dreams for the country come to fruition. Amestris had been a democracy for the past twenty years, and while it hadn't always an easy path for the country, it had been the right one. The military and its alchemists served the people now. Both of Riza's children were State Alchemists, and neither of them had been forced into situations like their father or Edward had been. The present might not exactly be the future that Roy and Riza had imagined, but it was definitely worth the struggles they had gone through.

Elysia rapped a fork against her glass, waiting until everyone had quieted down. Riza was still amazed by how much the young woman had changed. Riza still remembered the little girl Elysia had been at her father's funeral. Now she was a beautiful young woman, happily married and with two children of her own. And while she might have taken after Gracia in looks, Elysia was her father's daughter.

"All right, everybody, settle down. You can get back to gossiping later." That prompted laughter around the room, and Elysia grinned. "However, at the moment, it's time for the toasts. I know a number of you have toasts to share with the happy couple, but I get to go first."

She raised her glass towards Roy and Riza with a smile. "Marriage is a lot like the army, everyone complains, but you'd be surprised at the large number that reenlist."

Amidst laughter, they drank to that. Then Havoc rose to his feet, beer bottle in hand. It had taken him almost of year of physical therapy after the final battle, but Havoc not only had regained the use of his legs, but his new business had thrived as well. He had not returned to the military afterwards, but he had remained a close friend and ally over the years.

"May those who love us love us; and those that don't love us may God turn their hearts; and if he doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so we'll know them by their limping."

Still giggling at that toast (which would surprise most of the subordinates of the stern Lt. Colonel Mustang), Rowan rose to her feet to make another toast. Riza's oldest child had taken after her parents the most. She was quite happily employed as a State Alchemist in the Investigations department. With a smile, she raised her wine glass. "May blessings be upon your house, your roof and hearth and wall; may there be lights to welcome you when evening's shadow falls. The love that like a guiding stars still signals when you roam; a book, a friend: these be the things that make a house a home."

"Cool breeze. Warm fire. Full moon. Easy chair. Empty plates. Soft words. Sweet songs. Tall tales. Short sips. Long life." Emperor Ling grinned at the crowd. "I'm not sure that translated right, but you get the idea."

Armstrong lifting his glass prompted some groans as well as sparkles. "May you have warm words on a cold evening. A full moon on a dark night. May the roof above you never fall in and the friends gathered below never fall out. May you never be in want and always have a soft pillow for your head. May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead."

Christine Mustang might be a venerable old matron at this point, but she was still head of the Mustang family, and when she raised her glass for a toast, there was silence all around the room. Besides, she not only knew all the embarrassing stories about them, but she often had photographic evidence and the handcuffs to prove it. "May your joy never end like the circles of your wedding rings."

It was the same toast she had used on their wedding day, and Riza had to blink away a tear. It had been a wish for them that had definitely come true.

Edward flashed a smirk at Roy as he held up his glass. He had come a long ways from the young boy they had met all those years ago. He raised his glass with one hand, and his other hand was twined with Winry's. "To keep your marriage brimming with love in the wedding cup whenever you're wrong admit it; whenever you're right, shut up."

Laughter rang around the room once more, and Riza let Roy tug her to her feet to stand beside him.

"Thank you all for coming. It's been great to see everyone, and we appreciate your well wishes." Roy grinned. "So, here's to all of us! For there's so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us."

Riza was the one to make the final toast of the night though. "Happy are we met, happy we have been, happy may we part, and happy meet again."

* * *

Theme: Champagne and Handcuffs.


End file.
